A pochade (from French poche, pocket) is a type of preliminary sketch used in painting. As opposed to a croquis, which is line art, a pochade captures the colors and atmosphere of a scene. Many artists will capture a scene in a pochade that they will further develop in a full size painting. Pochades are often small (some are only 2” x 2”) and are easily carried in the artist’s pocket, thus the French derivation from the word for pocket.
They will typically lack the detail and realism of the full sized painting, but will capture the artist’s impression of the color, shape, and form of the scene he/she is portraying.
Kerry does not utilize pochades for every painting he creates, and often what he portrays on a pochade may differ in its entirety in the finished full size creation. He does find them useful in capturing the scene in a plein air moment, when travelling throughout this fine country of ours. Additionally, it is a quick and easy way to lay out a scene in a draft form, that can then be modified and worked on in a full size painting.
The following pochades are currently for sale:
