Art teacher excels in plein air

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Photo courtesy Bruno Baran

Art teacher Bruno Baran signs copies of Gary Pendleton’s “100 Plein Air Painters of the Mid-Atlantic.” Baran and some of his artwork was featured in the book, which came out over the summer.

Art teacher Bruno Baran sits outside with a group of artists, chatting as they paint the landscape around them. It is a “paint out,” hosted through the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association, or MAPAPA.

According to Baran, who is on MAPAPA’s Board of Directors, “plein air” means “open air” in French and is a style of painting the outdoors, while being outdoors.

“We love doing plein air because we can be social,” Baran said.

Over the summer, Baran appeared in Gary Pendleton’s book “100 Plein Air Painters of the Mid-Atlantic,” which included a brief biography supplied by each artist and showcased selected artwork.

According to Baran, he hates writing about himself, so last year, he had his students do a project where they each interviewed an artist and then wrote a biography for that artist. Margaret McGuirk, class of ’14, wrote Baran’s biography, and it went into Pendleton’s book.

 (painting) Baran's painting "Sunrise Over Bunky's" is an example of the plein air style. "Sunrise Over Bunky's" won Honorable Mention at the Solomons Plein Air Festival Sept. 20.
Photo courtesy Bruno Baran
Baran’s painting “Sunrise Over Bunky’s” is an example of the plein air style. “Sunrise Over Bunky’s” won Honorable Mention at the Solomons Plein Air Festival Sept. 20.

“Three people [wrote about] me, but hers was the best, so it got into the book,” Baran said.

“Over four years, Mr. Baran is the one who inspired me to really pursue art,” McGuirk said. “I didn’t plan to continue art classes when I started high school, but [because of] Mr. Baran, [I] somehow always continued to take another semester, and now I am probably going to minor in Studio Art at Dickinson.”

Baran and Pendleton are coordinating a time for Pendleton to come to JC and talk to the art students. According to Baran, Pendleton will come around noon on Dec. 15.

“I know almost every painter in the book,” Baran said. “When you’re in competitions up and down the East Coast, you get to know everybody.”

Besides teaching classes, Baran participates in juried competitions where his artwork is judged and sometimes awarded.

(book cover) Art teacher Bruno Baran is featured in Gary Pendleton's "100 Plein Air Painters of the Mid-Atlantic." The book came out June 28.
Photo Courtesy Bruno Baran
Art teacher Bruno Baran is featured in Gary Pendleton’s “100 Plein Air Painters of the Mid-Atlantic.” The book came out June 28.

“People call my work very loose and colorful with dynamic brush strokes because I paint aggressively,” Baran said.

For these competitions, between 150 and 300 entrants submit three sample pieces of artwork from the past year. A jury then decides which artists get into the competition participate in a 3-7 day painting event. According to Baran, two or three paintings are then submitted for the competition and show and a separate jury selects the awards.

“A year ago, I entered 10 [competitions], and I got into eight. This year I entered 12 and got into four,” Baran said. “I could be up and down the East Coast and across the US every week if I wanted to.”

This year, Baran was in competitions in Ellicott City, Ocean City, Cumberland, and Solomon Island, where he received an Honorable Mention for his painting “Sunrise Over Bunky’s.”

“[He says,] ‘Draw what you see, not what you think you see,’” senior Merina Novak, Baran’s student for three years, said. “That’s what’s helped me the most.”

Kathy Deaver is the Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.