"The mountains are calling, and I must go" (John Muir)
My name is Peter Stalder and I'm a figurative artist who is immensely inspired by the great outdoors. Some of my art is based on my imagination or photos but I find it more challenging and fruitful to go out and paint from direct observation. That's why for ART CHAMPÉRY, I decided to show 4 paintings that are derived entirely from “plein-air” work:
LAC DE TANAY
My first painting of the series was done at Lac de Tanay, which has all the magic of the most beautiful Alpine lakes: crystal-clear water full of trout, surrounded by pristine forests and steep mountains.
LAC DE TANAY
My first painting of the series was done at Lac de Tanay, which has all the magic of the most beautiful Alpine lakes: crystal-clear water full of trout, surrounded by pristine forests and steep mountains.
LAC DE BRETAYE GELÉ
This painting was also completed entirely on location, standing in the snow in Bretaye near Villars-sur-Ollon. In all my art, I strive to “capture” the light. I also enjoy working with shadows, because it is the antithesis of light and it enhances the luminosity in the painting.
"“The artist's mission is to give shape to what is eternal in nature, to reveal its inherent beauty; he sublimates the shapes of the human body. He shows an enlarged and simplified nature, liberated from all the details, which do not tell us anything. He shows us a work according to the size of his own experience, of his heart and his spirit.” (Ferdinand Hodler)
EGLISE DE CROIX-BLANCHE
Croix-Blanche has been one of my favorite painting spots ever since I lived in Epalinges (Vaud) for a few years. I love how the small church sits on top of a hill and how the Alps can be seen in the distance.
LE MONT-BLANC VU DE PLAINE JOUX
This is the most recent of the 4 artworks. I felt deeply inspired by the vivid autumn colors, the cold blue/purple nuances and the warm light on the snow.
This is the most recent of the 4 artworks. I felt deeply inspired by the vivid autumn colors, the cold blue/purple nuances and the warm light on the snow.
"Art will never be able to exist without nature" (Pierre Bonnard)
When you paint in oils, you start with the darker colours and then you apply gradually the lighter tones. Painting a mountain therefore feels a bit like ascending the mountain as an Alpinist, starting at the bottom with the pastures and the trees, then moving up the rocky slopes before reaching the glacier and the snow-capped peak at the top.
A family photo of my "Art Champéry" paintings. I fell in love with the rustique Alpine frames that I found in an antique store in a mountain village.
All 4 paintings are all 19.5 x 25.0 cm (25.0 x 19.5 cm for the vertical paintings). The external dimensions of the frames are 31.5 x 36.6 cm (36.6 x 31.5 vertical). |