Untitled (Long Island), 2009, watercolor and pastel on paper, 20 5/16 in. x 24 in. (detail)
LIZ ENGLEHARDT
silentscapes
Working outside in the elements, both in the rugged beauty of East Hampton and Cape Cod, Engelhardt’s mixed media works explore shifting light, wind and the emotion of the landscapes before her. Silent documents of fleeting moments, her work captures a confluence of light, movement and sound, translated through charcoal, pastels, and watercolor. The sobriety of her nearly monochromatic palette serves to underscore the grandeur and vastness of the natural environment.
Unlike traditional plein air painters, Englehardt brings a unique vulnerability, rawness and aggression to her work that reflects the landscape and can provoke in the viewer an immediate and visceral response. Engelhardt’s first one person show is an opportunity towitness the emergence of a talented and vital voice in plein air expression.
Untitled (Cape Cod), 2009, watercolor and pastel on paper, 20 5/16 in. x 24 in.
_in her own words
This group of landscapes records time spent in a nature preserve on the far
eastern end of Long Island and in various places on the tip of Cape Cod.
I have always loved nature and after hours of observing the ocean, trees,
grass, rocks and dunes, I lose myself in the other worldliness of these
magical places.
As an experiment, I limited my palette to black, white and gray. I found that
simplifying the process allowed me to become absorbed in the moment and
helped me attempt to capture a mood that is personal and also reflective of
the landscape.
Over time, mark making became more intuitive, as an instinct or reflex to
control was replaced by a more immediate reaction to the sensual
experience. I enjoy working outside because I can develop an intimate
relationship with what I am trying to translate and it feels more
spontaneous. The result seems to engender something that is raw and
less calculated.
Untitled (Long Island) 2009 watercolor and pastel on paper 20 5/16 in. x 24 in.
Untitled (Long Island) 2009 watercolor on paper 20 5/16 in. x 24 in.
Untitled (Long Island) 2009 watercolor on paper 20 5/16 in. x 24 in.