THE INCREDIBLE BEAUTY
OF THE MOMENT
Don Brackett finds endless inspiration in painting the outdoors
on location.
By Emily Van Cleeve
Painting
is as natural as breathing for artist Don Brackett. Its rare that a day goes by
when he isnt either loading canvases into his van, ready to roam
the countryside in pursuit of a great scene to paint, or settling into
his home studio for a full day of work on partially completed canvases.
For more than 30 years hes been working daily and side by side with
his wife, painter P.J. Garoutte. The couples home in Taos provides
the perfect base for daily painting trips to catch the essence of northern
New Mexicos exceptional beauty. He intimately knows every mountain
road from southern Colorados San Luis Valley to the Mora valley
southeast of Taos, and enjoys areas to observe and paint seasonal changes.
As I render
one scene I get ideas for the next painting Ill do of the same area,
Brackett says. I love working on location. When I paint with real
life in front of me, I can respond to the beauty of that moment.
His style
of capturing landscaping is loose and not literal. I view my brush strokes as
painterly, he confides. I want to keep my scenes loose but
recognizable.
While Brackett could
remain forever satisfied with focusing his attention on northern New Mexico
and southern Colorado, he likes the challenge of visiting new places and
experiencing different architectural features, terrain, and lighting conditions.
Last fall he and P.J. took a two week painting trip to southern France
with a small group of other American artists. A bus dropped the group
of painters off at a particular location in the French countryside or
in a town square and came back at the end of the day to pick them up.
Brackett paints on canvas mounted on a lightweight board for traveling.
Once a scene is located, he picks out an area that excites him.
l
look for the center of interest first, which is how I began each painting.
If the
center of interest happens to be an architectural feature, such as a
house or a cafe, I might lightly sketch it in charcoal before applying
paint
to the canvas.
Although Brackett
has painted abroad before, he particularly liked the historical French
villages with their narrow cobblestone streets, church steeples, and crumbling
buildings. As he listened to hourly chimes ringing throughout town squares
he would imagine how these quaint scenes have remained virtually unchanged
for the past 500 years.
He also
loved the coast and the gently rolling countryside filled with warm
golden light
and muted colors. Two weeks was barely enough time to experience the
flavor of the area and enjoy the locals warm and welcoming continental
hospitality, he reflects. Of the 25 landscapes and town scenes he created
during the trip, he returned home elated over the wonderful French
countryside
and villages.
Art and
the southwestern landscape have been in Bracketts blood since childhood. Hes
a native of Albuquerque who spent three years in the Marines after graduating
from high school in the 1950s. For a while he was stationed in
Hawaii, a place he loves to visit and paint. When he returned to the
mainland
he attended the University of New Mexico as a fine arts major under the
tutelage of Taos painter Kenneth Adams. The move to Taos was made in
1988.
Years ago
Brackett used to paint in watercolors and is a member of the American
Watercolor
Society. He received the Ford Times Award from the American Watercolor
Society of New York and Best of Show from the New Mexico Watercolor
Society,
plus many other awards as well. The switch to oils took place 20 years
ago. While watercolors flowing qualities have their appeal, he
enjoys the texture of oils and the way they build up on canvas.
Even if I never
wandered more than a mile from my home I wouldnt run out of subject
matter, he notes. Theres so much to see during the different
season and weather conditions in northern New Mexico. Theres an
endless supply of material here to keep me busy for years. |