Save the Date Upcoming Exhibition: Murmuration

Bird By Bird 6  ©2012 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 8 x 8"

April 24 - May 19, 2012

M U R M U R A T I O N

TAG Gallery, Bergamot Station

2525 Michigan Avenue, Unit D3

Santa Monica, CA 90404

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11am -5pm

Sundays noon - 4pm

An online sneak preview of the exhibition will be available to email subscribers. Sign up is here.

The Long and Short: A Selection of Artist Videos

I recently gathered some friends and watched The Art of Failure, a full length documentary about painter Chuck Connelly's rise and fall - and what he eventually came up with to deal with it. His rants, which were filmed over a 5 year period, I found difficult to watch. The parts that show him painting are fascinating, and as you can tell from the clip above, lots of his work is shown. Daniel Slotnik described his work for the NY Times as, "a blend of Goya and Rockwell", others have labeled him as a die hard neo-expressionist.


Here's a link to an excerpt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ex74Z_BaUE

The video above, of artist Riusuke Fukahori, shows some wonderful brushwork in progress, plus a sophisticated layering technique. And if you stick around there's quite a change in scale at the end.



Along with being amazed with his work, I also discovered a great tip in this Gottfried Helnwein clip. Watch how he uses the back of his glove to wipe or store paint while working. I've since started doing this myself and it's a great time saver.

Facebook Page

I'm back to posting after a  quick hiatus. I took a little time away to work on my Facebook Page. I've had it for awhile, but hadn't been updating regularly, so I took a little time to get it into shape. Please feel free to come have a look and if you "Like", to join the conversation. You can find it here, and you don't even have to be a Facebook member to visit.

Buy Local, Think International: Group Exhibition

Marsh Labyrinth  © 2011 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 30 x 24"

I'll have one painting in a group exhibition, starting today at TAG Gallery, Bergamot Station:

Buy Local, Think International
January 3 - 28, 2012
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 7, 2012, 5-8 PM

TAG Gallery, Bergamot Station
2525 Michigan Ave. D-3
Santa Monica, California 90404

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sundays: noon - 4pm
310-829-9556

Wrapping Up

Clouds, Birds 8 in progress

©2011 Katherine Kean

oil on linen 8 x 8"

I'm putting final touches on this years work while thinking back over the year. In my studio 2011 work adds up to 36 paintings, 5 group exhibitions, and 3 awards. The biggest challenge, of pulling myself together to go to Scotland to paint, had also the biggest rewards in a fantastic experience, new friendships and wonderful memories.

I'm updating my online resumes and remembering art world losses this year; Leonora Carrington, Cy Twombly and just recently, Helen Frankenthaler. A more complete list here.

I'm still assembling resolutions and goals for 2012. Perhaps a goal will be to double how many paintings I paint or take more painting trips. To aid artists in reaching their exhibition goals, gallerist and artist adviser Sylvia White has posted a list of opportunities for artists, more than one for each day of the month.

What are your goals for the new year?

Happy Holidays!

Wishing peace and joy to all.

I'm excited just knowing that the daylight is beginning to last longer.

And More Birds

Clouds, Birds 5 in progress

©2011 Katherine Kean

oil on linen 8 x 8"

There is an advantage to working on these paintings right now. Because of their small size they are easy to illuminate with artificial light. Another plus I've found to painting in winter is that the studio is so cold at night that any paints left out on the palette stay fresh. I can never get away with leaving paint out in the summer!