About the
Artist
From the earliest age, April knew she was to be an artist. She kept this
vision throughout high school and university, and started showing in galleries
shortly after graduating. Except for five years as the art director for a
national magazine, April’s entire career has been creating fine art.
For the past 10 years April has lived primarily in Orange County. During this
period she turned her attention to painting scenes inspired by the canyons and
coastline in Southern California. “To capture nature with the fluidity of
moving paint is what keeps me constantly pushing for the experience of
amazement. The act of painting is serendipity itself.” The plein air series,
represented on this site and several venues in Southern California, are in the
same spirit as the classic Southern California plein air paintings of the early
1900's.
The oldest of 10 children, April was born in Hawaii and was raised in North
Florida, along the wooded banks of the St. John’s River. “In those days there
were pine forests, blackberry patches, and even an old albino alligator to
visit. My parents were designers and innovators, architecting and building
their own home and designing and making most of their own furniture and
clothing. They involved all of the children in these projects“ April would
cherish the time she was able to spend in the woods, sketching and painting both
small details from nature as well as large vistas. She would offer these works
for sale door-to-door in her neighborhood to earn needed income for school and
art supplies.
With strong encouragement from her high school teachers, she competed for and
won the prestigious May-Cohen Art Scholarship, which enabled her to begin her
university work in fine arts. “My high school years were immersed in art. My
teachers would encourage me to paint murals rather than taking some non-art
classes. I am not sure public schools can offer that much flexibility these
days.”
April
had the opportunity to study fine art under several masters while obtaining her
degree in art at BYU. These included
William Whitaker,
Gary Ernest Smith,
Trevor Southey,
and
Alex Darais.
She was also profoundly influenced by the expansive collection of Maynard Dixon
paintings that surrounded her. Shortly after receiving her bachelor's degree
April began exhibiting her work at some of the finest galleries in the West,
including Clark-Leaming, Tivoli and Voris.
During
this time she encountered and overcame two bouts with cancer. These encounters
left a deep impression on her work reflecting not only on the frail nature of
existence on Earth, but also our struggle with the perception of opposition.
It was during this period that she created the controversial “dream” series,
renditions of pivotal scenes from the subconscious. These paintings, often
autobiographical, deal with emerging self-awareness and growth from the
perspective of a woman’s psyche. Many of these are held in private and
corporate collections. A sample of work from this period is available on the
web.
Twenty
years later, cancer well in remission, April is painting on-site in and around
Laguna Beach, California and from her home studio. “Although my plein-air
paintings are representational, I am not trying to emulate photo-realism.
Rather, my mind and my eye work together to form a double vision. This brings
to the canvas impressions of both the seen and the unseen. Without both
visions the scene is not alive. For me, the process of art is all about seeing
the image, then seeing beyond it.”
April's
primary media is traditional artist's oil colors on primed canvas mounted to
wood panels. April is a participating member of the California Art Club,
Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA), Oil Painters of America (OPA), and the Southern
California Plein Air Painters Association. April is also an exhibitor at the
Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, CA.
April
Raber's current plein air oil paintings can be viewed online at
http://www.aprilr.com
and at the Laguna North Gallery in Laguna Beach, California. During the summer
April is an exhibitor at the Festival of Arts / Pageant of the Masters in Laguna
Beach, California. Laguna Beach's Festival of Arts is one of the
oldest and most respected summer art festivals in the country.
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Notes about Plein Air Painting
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