A Beautiful Haze

Inspired by the Impressionists, painter Tsveti Sowers works with the outdoor light of Richmond.

Capturing the full beauty of the outdoors can be challenging. A photo can preserve the moment, but for some, this isn’t enough. Instead, paint is needed to fully embrace details. It’s an intimate medium that plein air artist Tsveti Sowers has relied on for years to freeze a transient scene forever.

For almost two decades, Tsveti has scoured the Richmond area in search of open-air scenes to paint. She’s particularly intrigued by nature as well as the city’s historical buildings. “The architecture is so beautiful; it just carries its own character and own history,” Tsveti says. “I’m not from here, so the old stories of buildings and what happened to them has more feeling to me.”

One never knows where this Impressionist painter might venture to when the creative spark hits, but she’s particularly fond of Maymont’s Italian Garden and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden. “I like to be outside, it’s natural to me,” she says. “Looking at flowers, plants, trees, birds – that’s something I’m really inspired by. The way light hits a tree or grass or an object outdoors is very inspiring.”

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

On her to-do list are Tuckahoe Plantation, the Poe Museum and Main Street Station, especially the latter which she’s admired for years. “It was probably one of the first things that caught my eye when I moved to the [U.S.] 17 years ago,” she says. “The architecture is stunning and many painters have already captured it, but I want to put my mark on it.”

Tsveti is often out and about during the spring and summer as she works to capture the clear springtime light and the hot summer atmosphere. “The heat creates a haze in the air that’s beautiful to capture,” she says. Winter sessions have been attempted, but needing to bundle up and stand outside for hours in frigid temperatures can be unpleasant, especially when paint starts to freeze on her palette.

The weather can be a challenge but packing the right essentials for the trip is as well. For each plein air journey, Tsveti must carefully contemplate the best items to bring. “Over the years I’ve learned packing small is best,” she says. “A lot of time involves walking to the location and I don’t want to carry a lot.” In most cases, her compact backpack will include just a foldable easel, a handful of paints and a range of hard hair brushes. “My paint is in small tubes and it’s a very limited range for plein air; [it’s] different from studio work,” she says. “It’s primary colors and a couple additional depending on what I’m painting.” She might also bring a small easel umbrella if it’s going to be hot and sunny to help protect herself and the painting from glare.

After setting up, Tsveti begins painting the scene. She carefully observes the setting, especially the light and shadows, something that’s key to plein air painting. These elements can change rapidly adjusting the ambiance so she must work quickly, moving her eyes back and forth to watch the scene while keeping her brush moving.

Altria Theater

Born in Bulgaria, Tsveti’s exposure to the painting world began when she was about 5 or 6 thanks to her musician father’s friend group. “They were all types of creative people and they’d get together to play music,” she says. “One would make amazing sketches and when I saw those they made my heart dance.”

The fascination remained, and when she was around 11 or 12, Tsveti produced her first painting: a still life of grapes.

“I didn’t have access to oil paint, I was still in middle school and experimenting with all sorts of media,” she says. “I read an article that you can make egg tempera and mimic the feel of oil paint and texture so I did that.”

The young artist eventually went on to study art education at the University of Angel Kanchev, a public university in Ruse, Bulgaria, where she was introduced to Impressionism. She was instantly intrigued by the art movement, particularly works by French and Russian masters. “I think I was enchanted by their ability to capture light in the simplest ways,” she says. “That felt powerful to me because I knew in my heart that was probably extremely hard to achieve.”

Since then, Tsveti’s portfolio (some of which can be seen at Quirk Gallery and Crossroads Art Center) has steadily grown with her style often being compared to Vincent van Gogh thanks to her loose brushwork. “My work isn’t by any way similar although some see similarities,” she says. “We paint differently, but elements we see in the same way.”

Tsveti’s “Marigolds” (2020) was a finalist in that year’s BoldBrush art contest and received honorable mention from the American Impressionist Society in 2021.

One of her favorite pieces so far is “Marigolds” which she painted in 2020. Tsveti was inspired by these vibrant flowers growing everywhere in the fall and challenged herself to paint them. It resulted not only in a stunning painting but became a proud personal achievement.

“Being able to capture that light within four hours, which I didn’t know I could do, felt amazing,” she says. The painting went on to be a finalist in the 2020 BoldBrush Art Contest and received honorable mention from the American Impressionist Society in 2021.

While nature remains her muse, this artist has been turning her attention lately to figurative works and studying the effect of light on the human body. It’s an exciting new journey for Tsveti – one that not only satisfies her creative passions but gives people a unique glimpse into her interpretation of the world.

“They get to see through my eyes,” she says. “That, to me, is beautiful; it’s motivating.”

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