During our two-hour stay, we watched Anderson's painting take form.
Working continuously, Anderson's goal was to capture nature at that particular instant. He applied pure white lines to capture the brightness of columns bathed in sun. White window frames were represented by simple lines. A fascinating dialogue concerned capturing the color of the concrete steps, which came alive as he added green to gray for realism, and purple to shadows.
Painting nature is spellbinding to watch. Light changed as cumulus clouds moved across the sky and behind the State House dome. None dared ask the artist about adding these clouds, certain they were recorded in his mind's eye, and we later discovered them captured at their natural perfection.
We reluctantly left the plein-air demonstration to view Anderson's paintings inside McBride Gallery. Several required study - a flower-bedecked European balcony with a folded umbrella observed from below with sunlight falling on the lower wall; another scene with subtle natural color and atmosphere that captured a gentle Minnesota spring breeze and a distinctive verdant spring green.
Far removed from Monet's famous haystacks, Anderson's Minnesota haystacks are neat utilitarian objects shown in spring in one gallery room, and snow-topped mounds in a smaller painting in another room.
At his evening talk Anderson said his mother had been an artist, as had his grandfather, and he had been drawing for as long as he could remember. He said getting laid off from his designer job was "the greatest thing that ever happened to me."
He studied with excellent teachers who helped him to learn about art, but he cautioned his artist listeners to learn what a teacher has to offer and move on.
"I go out and find something to celebrate in the visual world," Anderson said. "Everybody understands landscape. The main thing is to capture the atmosphere and light of a particular place at one time."
If you go
"Summer Salon Show," McBride Gallery, 215 Main St. in Annapolis, presents recent paintings by 15 artists with Scott Lloyd Anderson as the featured artist. The exhibit runs through Friday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 p.m. Thursday and noon to 5:30 p.m. today. 410-267-7077.
