David Lussier

David Lussier`s plein air landscapes reflect an interest in strong Impressionistic brushwork and the value relationships of color, as influenced by Robert Henri and George Bellows. The rhythm established in Lussier`s paintings by bold thick strokes of paint brings the surfaces to life. Trained as a commercial illustrator he realized early in his career that his real passion was found in painting the rural New England landscape found outside his front door. Lussier studied at Paier College of Fine Art in Hamden Connecticut and at the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme Connecticut. He has also independently researched color theory by studying the palette systems that Robert Henri and the Ashcan School explored at the turn of the last century. Lussier is an artist almost entirely devoted to plein air painting. Studio paintings are always done from a combination of pencil sketches, oil sketches and notations completed on location. Lussier`s professional affiliations include the Rockport Art Association the Northshore Arts Association and the Hudson Valley Art Association. He is also a signature member of the National Academy of Professional Plein Air Painters and is an elected artist member and the current president of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society. For the past two consecutive years, Lussier has participated in the Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational the most prestigious plein air invitational in the nation. In 2005, Lussier established the Connecticut River Plein Air Invitational, an event hosted by the Connecticut River Museum in Essex Connecticut which in its first year included elected artist members of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society and guest artists from Connecticut and other locations in the United States. David's award winning paintings hang in numerous private and corporate collections and are increasingly being sought after by collectors from New York to California and abroad. Lussier continues to conduct painting workshops which he has been doing passionately for more than ten years. He believes it is important for an artist to reach out to those willing to learn just as his teachers and mentors did for him. His paintings and workshops have been featured in numerous publications including 'A Conversation with David Lussier' by Charles Movalli, featured in the December 1995 issue of American Artist Magazine and most recently, a feature article about his Monhegan Island workshop entitled 'Fundamentals First' by Lynne Moss Perricelli in the 2005 winter edition of American Artist Workshop Magazine. This publication will be available on the news stand from December 05 thru February 06.