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Plein Air Paintings in Demand
By Bobbie Bagel
July/August 2021
En plein air is a French expression meaning "in the open air." It describes the art of painting out of doors, capturing landscapes and views in natural light. San Diego is fortunate to have a thriving community of talented contemporary plein air painters. SOHO and the Marston House have promoted the works of these local artists over the years.
 Dance of the Eucalyptus by Marjorie Taylor
Oil on linen panel
Framed 14x16; unframed 8x10
$375 |
 Balboa Park by Joan Boyer
Oil on canvas
Framed 14x16; unframed 8x10
$390 |
 Mesa Trail by Margaret Larlham
Pastel
Framed 18 x 22, unframed 12 x 16
$500 |
And since we reopened the museum shop in May, plein air paintings have been selling very well. Perhaps there is a pent-up demand and renewed appreciation for these beautiful outdoor scenes, after we've been cooped up during the pandemic for so long. The shop currently has an excellent selection of regional landscapes and seascapes by Joan Boyer, Margaret Larlham, and Marjorie Taylor.
Recently, Larlham was stationed in the formal garden, working on a lovely pastel of the Marston House. A passerby saw it, loved it, and asked to purchase it—unframed, right off the easel.
Larlham says "If I don't paint every day, I get a bit cranky with myself. So I try to avoid that for everyone's peace of mind." As a full-time plein air and studio artist, she's influenced by her former career as dancer, choreographer, theater director, and teacher in her native South Africa and at San Diego State University.
Taylor combines her passion for creating art and love of travel. "My wanderlust has taken me on many adventures with my portable art studio in a backpack." Her painting trips include stays in Guatemala, France, Morocco, Italy, and Mexico.
Boyer, our third featured artist, likes to create a story in her paintings. She achieves this by using intense colors, strong shadows, and unusual skies, among other devices. Interestingly, she records the GPS coordinates on the back of each canvas. That way, the location of each work can be traced even if the scenery or terrain change in the future.
In offering original art, the museum shop honors George Marston's legacy as a dedicated patron of the arts, supporting painters, architects, and garden designers. He decorated his store with pieces by the most talented local artists of the day. In the 1920s, when times were hard, Marston commissioned a leading San Diego artist, Alfred Mitchell, to paint Mission Valley. Marston paid $1,000, Mitchell's biggest sale at the time, for In the Valley. Customers enjoyed the large painting in the store's waiting room. The sum allowed Mitchell to proceed with his wedding plans.
The Marston House Museum Shop is pleased to carry on this Marston tradition and to support talented San Diego artists. Next time you visit the shop, allow time for a serious look at the fine paintings of familiar sights and new ones by the artists among us.
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