The Outsiders

The Golden Age of California Impressionism peaked during the early twentieth century, yet artists true to the art of plein air painting remain. Some of these artists will showcase their spectacular work as “The Outsiders” come to the Bakersfield Museum of Art, December 6 - February 25, 2008, in the Ablin Gallery.

While Southern California plein air painters worked on representational landscapes influenced from French Impressionism, northern plein air painters were heavily influenced by the Fauvists and Tonalists. One of the most noted northern plein air groups was the Society of Six, comprised of six men based in Oakland. They remain one of the most influential plein air groups from Northern California. Outsider artist Pam Glover had the honor of painting with two of the surviving members of the Society of Six and shifted her focus from abstract to plein air compositions.

The Outsiders carry on the Northern California tradition of plein air painting through their use of color, loose compositions, and thick layers of paint. Seven of the Outsiders are featured in the Bakersfield Museum of Art exhibit: Nikki Basch-Davis, Pam Glover, Ray Jackson, Judy Molyneux, William Rushton, Randy Sexton, and Jerrold Turner. All still active painters in a traditional plein air style, the Outsiders paint vistas from around Northern California and Nevada. They have been painting together for over 15 years, working outdoors as well as in their studios. Many of the Outsiders still paint together in landscape settings, exploring two-lane roads throughout Northern California to portray the scenery in their individual styles.

Inspired by their professional and artistic backgrounds, each  bring a fresh look to plein air painting. Pam Glover’s untamed canvases offer multiple perspectives of the world she observes, many of which now hang in collections around the world. Jerrold Turner’s background as a structural engineer becomes evident in  renderings of Northern California landscapes. His paintings, although painted with thick strokes, exhibit structure and form. The impasto works of Ray Jackson are energetic, even though many of his figures seem contemplative. Nikki Basch-Davis’ paintings have a poetic quality to them. Her landscapes provoke serenity. Judy Molyneux uses bands of Fauvist colors, capturing the liveliness of Northern California scenery. Working with vivid colors to capture light, William Rushton creates scenic views on his canvases. His many shades of blue provide a backdrop for dynamic paintings. Randy Sexton’s paintings exude realism, whether it is a scenic view of a busy street or a cropped view of a railroad crossing. His portrayal of light is exquisite in renderings of rural towns.

Although not the last of the Northern California plein air artists to emerge as a group, the Outsiders serve as a reminder of California’s Golden Age of Impressionism. Truly embedded in their Northern California style, the Outsiders bring the plein air style of painting into the modern period through courageous use of color, thick layers of paint, and incredible renderings of landscapes.