Brenda Hofreiter Artist Signature Member

Artist's Statement

My artistic heroes are the early Impressionists and the continuing American tradition of painting on location or “en plein air”.  As a Florida native, I  grew up camping and hiking all over the country.   Painting oil landscapes  “en plein air” is just a continuation of my love and appreciation for nature.   I am constantly inspired by the way the sun changes the world as it moves across the sky.   Painting on location allows me to witness firsthand the effects of light, weather and season on the landscape and offers constantly changing possibilities of artistic expression.

Although I have had some formal art training,  my most profound teacher has been nature itself and I find the experiences of painting on location to be both artistically challenging and rewarding.  My paintings are completed from bare canvas to completion on site.  The only studio work done is to remove imbedded bugs and dirt and to add my signature and a final coat of  varnish.   Like the Impressionists,  I prefer to work in layers of oil, wet over dry.  My customary  pallete contains a warm and cool of each primary color, plus a warm and cool green, white and black.  I'm not stuck to this pallet and will add additional colors as needed.   Paintings are usually begun with a loose drawing in oil on the canvas to formalize placement and composition and followed by a color block in.  Working from dark to light,  larger shapes are broken into smaller ones and details added until I have said all I wanted to say and the painting is finished.    I  work in a larger format, up to 30” x 40”,  than is usual in plein air painting, and several trips to the site at the same time of day are required for completion.   For me, the day to day changes are an opportunity for me to experience the site in a variety of conditions and to choose which light effects or mood would best reflect my impression of the location.  I try to remain open to the possibilities of the site that unfold during the painting process and incorporate them into the painting as they occur.  During the final stages of painting,  I lock in the light and mood  throughout the entire painting.   To help in achieving this,  I use intensity of color to excite or relax the eye, deepened shadows to create an air of mystery and timelessness, and soft edges to create atmosphere.

When traveling  to distant locations or when time is limited, or when I participate in a "paint out",  I create smaller paintings with a more direct or “alla prima”  method of painting.  Because of the time frame for completion,  my brushstrokes become bolder and more direct and the resulting paintings are energetic and impressionistic.

Whatever painting  method I use,  when a painting is successfully completed, I feel as though I have become a part of the land, and it has become a part of me.   It is my hope that the resulting paintings share the beauty, peace and serenity that I find in the timeless beauty of the natural world.  Their creation has allowed me a greater connection to this time and to these vanishing places. 

                                                                                                                       ~Brenda Hofreiter~
Awards

Artist in Residence - 2005 - Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Sapelo Island, GA
Artist in Residence - 2005 - South Carolina Sate Parks - Givhens Ferry, Ridgefield, SC
Signature Membership - International Plein Air Painters- (2005)
Signature Membership - American Impressionist Society - (2005)
Award of Merit - "Paint the Town 2005" - Alla Prima Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL
Juror's Choice Award - "Azelea Plein Air 2004" - Valdosta, GA
Patron's Choice Award - "Images 2003" - New Smyrna Beach, FL
Award of Merit - Painting - "Maitland Spring Art Festival" - Maitland, FL (2002)
Signature Membership - Plein Air Florida  (2001)
Special Recognition Award - Spring Invitational - Period Gallery, Omaha, NE  ( 200l)
Patron's Award - "Santa Fe Trail National Juried Art Show" - Trinidad, CO  (2000)
Honorable Mention - "Downtown Orlando Arts Market" - Orlando, FL (1999)
2nd Place - Painting and Drawing - "18th Annual Juried Exhibition - A & W Jenkins Gallery,  Winter Park, FL  (1998)
Fellowship - Crealde' School of Art - (1997-1999)

Resume

2006

Juried Exhibition:  "Paint the Town" - Orlando Museum of Art - 1st Thursday's - Orlando, FL
Featured Artist:  "Paint the Town" - Orlando Magazine - January, 2006 issue

2005

Juried Invitional Exhibition:  " Revealing The Land" - Octagon Arts Center - 2470 Nursery
                                Road, Clearwater, FL        
Artist in Residence - Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources,
                                 Sapelo Island NERR,    Darien, GA
Gallery Exhibition -  World Wide Paintout Exhibition - Plein Air Florida -
                                Alla Prima Fine Art,  St. Petersburg, FL
3 Person Exhibition - Island Fine Art - Crescent Beach, FL
Regional Juried Exhibition - "Thomas Center Galleries Regional Juried
                                Exhibition - Gainesville, FL
Artist In Residence - South Carolina State Parks - Givens Ferry State
                                 Park - Ridgefield, SC
National Juried Exhibition - "2005 American Impressionist Society National Juried
                                Exhibition" - Nichols Taos Fine Art - Taos, NM
Juried Exhibition & Paintout - "Paint the Town" - Alla Prima Fine Art - St. Petersburg, FL
2 Person Invitational Exhibition - "Vanishing Landscapes of Florida "- Historical Bok Tower -
                                  Lake Whales, FL

2004
Gallery Exhibition - "Landscapes Near and Far" - Leslie Boyd Gallery - Orlando, FL
Solo Exhibition - "Artabout" - Three Legged Dog Gallery - Mount Dora, FL
2 Person Exhibition - "Splendor in the Grass" - Mount Dora Center for the
                                   Arts- Mount Dora, FL
3 Person Exhibition - "Renewal" - Steinway Piano Galleries - Altamonte Springs, FL
4 Person Exhibition - "Landscapes, Townscapes & Spacescapes - Orlando
                                    City Hall - Orlando, FL
Paintout - "Azalea Plein Air 2004" - Valdosta, GA
Featured Artist - "Paint the Town" - Orlando Magazine - March, 2004
Paintout and Exhibition - "Art for Nature - Spring Plein Air 2004" - A. E. Backhus
                                     Gallery - Fort Pierce, FL
2 Person Exhibition - "Scenes from Home - Florida 'en plein air'" - Leslie Boyd
                                     Gallery - Orlando, FL

2003
Juried Exhibition - "2003 Juried Art Show" - Osceola Cener for the Arts, Kissimme, FL
Invitational Paintout - "First Night St. Pete" - St. Petersburg, FL
Invitational Paintout - "William Bartrum Invitational Paintout 2003" - Paines Prairie Preserve
                                      State Park - Micanopy, FL
Paintout and Exhibition - "Arts in Nature" - Mead Gardens -Winter Park, FL
Juror - "Titusville Art League 39th Annual Spring Show" - Titusville, fl
Gallery Exhibition - Palm House Gallery - Winter Park, FL
Gallery Exhibition - "Fourth Vernissage" - The Little Art Gallery - Kissimmee, FL
National Juried Exhibition - "Cedar Key Natinal Juried Art Exhibition 2003" - Cedar Key, FL
Featured Artist - Orlando Magazine- February, 2003

2002
Gallery Exhibition - "OVAL -1st Annual Members Show" - Orlando, FL
Gallery Exhibition - "Brushstrokes" - Leslie Boyd Gallery - Orlando, FL
Solo Exhibition - "Vanishing Florida" - Bank of America - Sanford, FL
Gallery Exhibition -  The Art Bazzar - Orlando, FL
Regional Juried Exhibition - "Thomas Center Galleries Regional Juried Exhibition" - \
                                       Gainesville, FL
Juried Exhibition - "Art 3 By" - Maitland Art Center - Maitland, FL
Gallery Exhibition - "Nature's Pallete" - Gallery on Virginia - Orlando, FL
Gallery Exhibition - "2nd Vernissage" - The Little Art Gallery - Kissimmee, FL
Group Exhibition - "Florida Renditions en Plein Air" - Washington Park Library, Orlando, FL
National Juried Exhibition - "Oil Painters of America National Exhibition" - Hilligoss
                                        Galleries - Chicago, IL
International Invitational Exhibition - Upstream People Gallery - Omaha, NE
Juried National Exhibition - "Of Mind and Spirit" - AAWA National Exhibition - Farmington, NM

2001
Juried Gallery Exibition - "Contemporary Portraiture" - Oval on Orange, Orlando, FL
Juried Gallery Exhibition - "Objects of Desire" - Terrace Gallery, Orlando, FL
Invitational Gallery Exhibition - "Landscapes Near and Far" - Leslie Boyd Gallery, Orlando, FL
Juried National Exhibition - "The Face and Figure" - Gallery on the Square - Danville, KY
Group Exhibition - "Florida Landscapes - Discover the Beauty" - Winter Park Public Library,
                                          Winter Park, FL
National Juried Exhibition - "National Woman's Exhibition" - Impact Artists Gallery - Buffalo, NY
Invitational Gallery Exhibition - "Florida's Fabulous Gardens" - Hope Barton Gallery - Clermont, FL

2000
National Juried Exhibition - "Santa Fe Trail Art Show" - Mitchell Museum of Western Art - Trinidad, CO
National Juried Exhibition - "Not Under Glass" - St. Louis, MO
Group Exhibition - "Arts in the Park" - Loch Haven Park, Orlando, FL
International Juried Exhibition - "Sun Bowl Art Exhibition" - International Museum of Art, El Passo, TX
Juried Gallery Exhibition - "Oval on Orange" - Orlando, FL


" ... 'en plein air' oil paintings of the vanishing South"
To see more of my work, please visit my website at www.BrendaHofreiter.com
"After the Fire"
22" x 28"
Plein Air Oil on Canvas
"Burnt Palm"
  24" x 30"
Plein Air Oil on Canvas
"Chuluotta Boathouse"
18" x 24"
Plein Air Oil on Canvas
"Hawk Nest"
16" x 20"
Plein Air Oil on Canvas
"Winter Palm Reflections"
18" x 24"
Plein Air Oil on Canvas
"Early Morning Wetlands"
  24" x 26"
Plein Air Oil on Canvas
Home    Advisory Panel     Ambassadors    Signature Members   IPAP Members     Apply for Membership    Newsletter/ BLOG   Photo Gallery 
Message Board   2009 WW Paint Out    Paint Out Photos   Plein Air Stuff    Organizations   artlinks   links    Link to Us     CONTACT US
International Plein Air Painters Worldwide Organization
Est. 10/19/01
Brenda Hofreiter, Signature Member
A WORLDWIDE Plein Air Painting Organization