Statement
When it comes to painting the landscape, I am interested in the sense of mystery that enters the work based on the ever-changing phenomena of light and atmosphere I observe onsite. I find an appealing tension between the concreteness of the motif- the land literally under our feet- and the ephemeral qualities in the shifting effects of light and weather. My challenge as a painter is to reconcile these seemingly disparate aspects by constructing solid compositions while remaining sensitive to delicate nuances of color, value and paint handling. I am less interested in describing recognizable landmarks than I am in conveying a sense of being in a certain place at a certain time or in a certain place over a long period of time. Painting in the landscape goes beyond recording visual facts and becomes something more of a holistically sensory experience. There is a more ‘in-the-body’ feeling about painting en plein air than there is with other motifs. You are part of the painting, you are in the same light, experiencing the same world as the elements you are depicting and those feelings can not help but imprint themselves onto the work. It’s a physical, messy process and the paintings are always changing, the results unexpected and exciting.
Edmond Praybe, April 2022
Bio
Edmond Praybe is a painter and educator residing near Annapolis, MD. He received his BFA from Maryland Institute, College of Art and MFA from the New York Studio School. Edmond’s work has been shown widely in juried and invitational exhibitions at venues including Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati, OH, Stephen F. Austin State University in TX, The University of Mary Washington in VA, Prince Street and Bowery Galleries in New York City, The Mitchell Gallery at St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD, The S. Tucker Cooke Gallery at UNC Asheville and the Chauncey Stillman Gallery at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Lyme, CT. Notable art critics Jed Pearl and David Cohen have included Praybe’s work in juried exhibitions. He has been the recipient of the Hohenberg Travel Grant, three Mercedes Matter Awards, the UNC Asheville Drawing Discourse Purchase Prize and was a U. S. National Parks Artist-In-Residence at Catoctin Mountain Park. He is a member of Zeuxis: An Association of Still Life Painters and contributes regularly to their traveling exhibitions. Edmond teaches classes, workshops and lectures regularly in-person and online at Anne Arundel Community College, New York Studio School, Washington Studio School, Winslow Art Center and Penn Studio School of Art.
