By
Noel Hefele
Piece description from the artist
Plein Air painting in a nice nook in Prospect Park. It was far away from others and the smell of BBQ was in the air.
The impressionists were on my mind, and how the invention of lead tubes for paint allowed them to work directly in nature and attempt to document the experience.
I was focusing on a shoreline clogged thick with phragmites, an invasive plant. Invasive species are a problem in many areas, but what makes something invasive? Is it the plant's fault or is it the fault of our relationship to it? How can we encourage a better relationship to these plants? Phragmites have changed the shoreline of the water body in Prospect Park, regardless of the wishes of Olmsted and Vaux, the designers, or the current landscape managers.
I paint New York City's wild edges – the parks, waterways, and forgotten green spaces where nature persists despite urban pressure.
Based in the Bronx, I'm currently exploring Van Cortlandt Park, one of NYC's largest and wildest parks. My work captures these landscapes in oil, focusing on the moments when light, water, and seasons transform familiar places into something unexpected.
I studied at Carnegie Mellon (BFA) and in England (MA in Arts and Ecology). My paintings are in private collections internationally.
See more at noelhefele.com
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