American Impressionism carried on by Tim Bell

On Second Saturday, March 8 at Anita Peghini-Räber Gallery: American Impressionism carried on by Tim Bell will be the featured artist.

Bell is a painter rooted in the American Impressionist tradition. His ancestors in Maryland go back to the 1600s. Bell never grows tired of getting inspired by the areas' beaches, waterways and hillsides. He was a hard core plein-air painter at a time when hardly anyone knew about the French term plein-air.

Plein-air does not imply a certain style; it simply means that the artist sets up his easel outside his or her studio to depict nature, figures or cityscape. It's the action of painting in the wide-open space, depicting scenes in the here and now. Today of course plein-air has grown to a movement that cannot be ignored and which draws many new artists. To paint in the outdoors is challenging, therefore the artist needs to be very organized. Mostly the scene that interests the visual eye rarely comes handy. Painting from the comfort of a heated car seat is unlikely.

Bell is prepared and on survival mode. He hikes for miles to find the vision he is inspired by. Neither snow, nor heat is keeping him back. Focus is key for the painter, since the elements can strike at any time. The shifting of the light is real and fast. Bell is a master of catching the light.

He received Best Use of Light Award at the Plein-Air Easton, 2007, just to name one of many awards he received at the top plein-air festival in the country, in Easton, Md.  Bell has shown his art from Pasadena, Calif. to Portland, Ore. from Maine to Key West, Fla. His paintings hang in private collections throughout the United States, Italy and Great Britain, Scotland and France and also at the permanent collecton of Frostburg State University.

Anita Peghini-Räber Gallery is located at 49 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach. Gallery hours are Friday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Second Saturday, March 8, they will share some appetizers with the public from 6 to 9 p.m. Call 302-227-2888 for details.