Frederick Somers

So moving on from portraiture artists, I figured I would look around at some landscape artists. I do love nature and being in it. Some of my friends have experienced me geeking out when I come across something really pretty, like a vibrantly colored sunset. And by now you should know I love colors, and there are a lot of colors out there!

Cannon Oak Canopy

The first landscape artist I want to look at is Frederick Somers. The pieces of his that I am going to look at are done in either pastel or oil paints. These media seemed to enable him to achieve a sense of detail while also leaving some ambiguity, and not defining every single stem, branch or rock.  

Outdoor Wisconsin

On his website he is quoted as saying, "I seek to bring to others an experience of the beauty of light as it bathes creation and to point them to a pathway that reaches into eternity." After I read that and look at his works once again, I do notice the key role that lighting plays. It gives depth and texture to the elements in the different pieces and makes them come alive.

Plums on Prairie Creek

As obvious as this is, knowing the artist's purpose behind the pieces really does add so much to them! I already liked these just because they are beautiful depictions of the beauty of nature, but understanding that Somers strived to specifically get the viewer to appreciate the lighting and its role gives it more meaning and more beauty. Understanding the purpose of the painting gives the viewer more understanding and appreciation of the painting, itself.

Winter Fire on Prairie Creek

-Maria

http://fredericksomers.com/