Link to Irene’s Plein Air Art Show By Chincoteague Cultural Alliance
Irene Volke
Irene is an artist from Chicoteague Va. She loves nature and enjoys plein air painting around the areas of the eastern shores. Her work can be seen in galleries on the Eastern Shores of Virginia. Irene started as a self taught artist who attended different art seminars to enhance her techniques. Her works are diverse in which she uses oil paints, water color, pascal, pencil, charcoal and in some cases she has been known to make sculptures.
Artist Statement
As a Plein Air artist I am drawn to the beauty of nature. To the magic of the light as it dances on the water. I see the sky erupting in magnificent colors for a fleeting moment at sunrise. How can I express the beauty before my eyes? I walk thru the forest and find old trees that are knurled and bent with age, they beg to be painted. I see designs in abandoned fish bones lying on the sand. I think what medium would lend itself to this vision? When autumn comes to the marsh, the grasses turn beautiful colors instead of the trees. All these moments in nature excite me and challenge me to paint. I am always experimenting with different mediums with their specific challenges and sometimes great rewards. I try to impart a bit of myself thru color, different arrangements or an unusual view.
I have no formal training, so I rely on trial and error and in this process I have learned a lot about these different mediums. I have found that you never stop learning.
I go to workshops and paint outs where I can paint with other artists and learn from them. I'm a member of the Eastern Shore Art League. I have won several awards at juried shows and have had my work shown at the Ward Museum and the Chincoteague Museum. I currently have paintings at the Lemon Tree gallery in Cape Charles and the Blue Crab on Chincoteague.
