Happy Holidays!

Marsh Snow © 2014 Katherine Kean 
oil on linen   12  x 16 inches

Wishing you joy and peace this holiday season and throughout the New Year.

The Weight of Air

The Weight of Air Katherine Kean
oil on linen   48 x 48 inches

A combination of a Cape Cod marsh and imaginary - and much hoped for - rain clouds, this painting has fun details that are hard to see here. The foreground grasses are slightly impasto brushstrokes, as are some of the wind tossed 'debris' in the air.

As I was settling on a title, I looked up many weather terms: downdraft, microburst, wind shear, outflow front, to mention just a few. I finally went with the title that's been in my mind since I started.

Cape Cod Travels

After a hot, humid, and hectic beginning of summer, it was nice to spend a week traveling to Cape Cod to visit family, check up on the marsh, chase a few clouds, and look at a few art galleries. I was surprised, and delighted, to find the weather there less humid than Southern California, and cool, and green. Very, very green.

One of the galleries that I visited was Tree's Place, and I was fortunate to see a two person show of Karen Hollingsworth's and James Neil Hollingsworth's paintings. It was a gorgeous exhibition. Their work hung well together, and interacted, with some elements shared and differences that added to the interest.

Back home everything is as busy as usual. I'm having some work done on my yard and one of the crew is rehoming a stray female husky. I ended up inviting her inside to stay on two separate days. I was pondering adopting her - she's sweet, smart, graceful, and beautiful. My cat Zabrina loves dogs and wanted to meet her, but that didn't go very well. It seems the husky viewed her mostly as prey. However, there are many other interested parties, so I doubt she'll have any trouble finding a great home.

And lastly, when is a hole in the roof a good thing? For me, it's when it's getting ready for a skylight to be installed. I've been making changes to my garage so that it can double as a studio space when I need it. It's getting there...

Marsh With Snow

A Little Snow on the Marsh Katherine Kean
oil on linen 8 x 10 inches

“To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be.” ― Rachel Carson

A Little Snow on the Marsh

Marsh With Snow Charcoal Sketch Katherine Kean

I've been away from snow long enough to get excited by it again - that is, when it occurs in what I feel are appropriate amounts. It was pretty lying lightly scattered across the marsh with just a few brittle and dry stalks of marsh grass remaining on a late afternoon in Cape Cod.

Is It Done Yet?

Marsh House 2013 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 6 x 6 inches

How do you decide when a painting is done?

 For me this has always been something that's mostly intuitive, but as I go along I realize that these days I spend a lot more time thinking about it - especially as I'm approaching the end. Lately it seems to be a matter of whether I feel 've reached clarity on what I think the painting is about.

What do other artists say? Here are some quotes on the subject:

"To put it as simply as possible - and this is a simple answer, not a total answer - I know when a painting's finished when I understand why I wanted to do it in the first place." James Elkins

"The painting is finished when the idea has disappeared." Georges Braque

"One always has to spoil a picture a little bit in order to finish it." Eugene Delacroix

"That's the terrible thing: the more one works on a picture, the more impossible it becomes to finish it." Alberto Giacometti

"When a painting is done I feel it actually recedes from me. Everything coalesces and moves away, and I can no longer focus on a single part of it. It suddenly does this gestalt." April Gornik

"It can be difficult to assess when a painting is complete. For this reason, I often set aside the painting to prevent overworking it. When I am unsure, I ask myself if doing more would add or take away from the purpose of the painting." Mary French

"I paint until I become the audience staring at the painting staring back at me. It’s how I know the painting is done." Eric Fischl

"When nothing is wrong anymore, then I stop." Gerhard Richter

What Can Be - Marsh Labyrinth 3 in progress

Marsh Labyrinth 3 (work in progress) ©2013 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 10 x 10 inches

“Show not what has been done, but what can be. How beautiful the world would be if there were a procedure for moving through labyrinths.”

Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

Bear is feeling better, perhaps temporarily and perhaps because he's not doing any chemotherapy, at least for the time being. The procedures have put his lymphoma into remission, yet the last two rounds have been too much for him - either because of his age or maybe he's just a sensitive dog. The idea of chemotherapy for dogs is to make them feel better with any side effects expected to be minimal or non existent. I have certainly met dogs who have sailed through chemotherapy, but unfortunately Bear is not one of them.

Another aspect to his current well being is the improvement in his spine. He only has another two to four weeks of crate rest left and the activity restriction has served him well. He's off pain killers and not hurting and his energy levels are starting to rise. I've been gradually extending his restricted area from crate, to crate plus pen, to crate plus pen, plus office, to crate plus pen plus office plus hallway. Hopefully by the end of the rest period I'll have figured out how he can enjoy most of the house without having access to the hazards of furniture he can jump on, while also providing traction over these slippery hardwood floors.

In the Making: Marsh Labyrinth 2

Marsh Labyrinth 2 (work in progress) ©2013 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 10 x 10 inches

“Is it a world in the making 

that turns as it whistles to the depths of my being 

It is burning 

Suppose it were to appear 

A bleeding rosary at the window 

a sun setting on the marshlands" 

 Paul Dermée, Silver Clasp, The Cubist Poets in Paris: An Anthology

Getting Back to Work

"Try to end a day's work on a picture knowing how to proceed the next day." Irwin Greenberg

Marsh House ©2013 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 6x6 inches

As much as I like the idea of having all things complete and squared away before a break, it seems there is wisdom in coming back to work on something already in progress, especially if it’s something that you know exactly how to proceed with. Then it’s as simple as picking up right where you left off without fuss or hesitation or over-thinking. It’s a way to keep the flow going between starts and stops. I find this helpful on a day to day basis as well as for longer breaks.

Sky, Rocks, Beach work in progress ©2013 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 30x40 inches

 
 Before I leave the studio for the day I know what I’m going to start on the next day, whether it’s new drawings, a fresh under-painting, additional glazes - or sanding down and re-painting.

The paintings above are at a mid point. I can see where they're going, yet they will still have surprises along the way.

Sometimes in Marshes

House on Great Marsh ©2012 Katherine Kean
graphite  6 x 6"

“We need the tonic of wildness, to wade sometimes in marshes where the bittern and the meadow-hen lurk, and hear the booming of the snipe; to smell the whispering sedge where only some wilder and more solitary fowl builds her nest, and the mink crawls with its belly close to the ground.” Henry David Thoreau 

Bitterns are wading birds of the heron family. They have shorter necks then herons and are shy. Snipes are also wading birds. I don't recall ever hearing them boom, although if I did I might not have known what it was. I'm told it is a drumming sound that they make with their tail feathers.

Another sketch, the Great Marsh in Cape Cod, and a house that is there. I'm not sure, it may be The Halfway House as it's called, for being halfway down the trail. I wasn't near enough to read any signs or plaques. The Halfway House is owned by Barnstable and used by groups from time to time. It looks like a wonderful place to go to draw and paint the marsh.

 

The Great Marsh is an excellent place to get a little taste of some wildness.

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

On the Easel, On the Wall, On the Floor

Marsh Path in progress Katherine Kean
48 x 48" oil on linen

Here's a sneak peek at the works in progress in the studio. The painting above just barely fits on the easel, while the two triptychs below are being painted as they hang on or lean against the wall. The larger is 10 1/2 feet wide, and the smaller one is 6 feet wide.

When the weather is fine

Marsh Path sketch ©2011 Katherine Kean 6 x 6"

I find this time of year the best for painting. The days are long and there is plenty of light.On warm days my studio is always cool and inviting and I have a freshly stretched 48 x 48" linen ready to paint.

The drawing above combines a typical view of the sky from my house together with a marsh field from Cape Cod. These elements together male a place that doesn't exist, but could be almost anywhere.

Expanding My List of Influences



Slow Release of the Day © 2009 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 18 x 36"

A couple of years ago I posted a list of the top eleven artists that I felt had the biggest influence on my work. A top ten list would be a much rounder number I know, but I just coldn't narrow it down that far. Now, I'd like to expand on that list with some additional artists that I've been looking at more carefully over the past few months, and add these seven to the first eleven. Some of these artists' works relate to each other and some do not, so, in no particular order:

Dwight Tryon Graceful, and simultaneously ethereal and grounded.

George Innes Rich and mysterious, his paintings allow your mind to create what isn't painted, while hinting at more.

Andrew Wyeth Beautiful browns that are almost monochromatic - images are stark in composition, yet rendered in detail, and have the ability to draw you into their story.

Lawren S. Harris Harris's paintings seem to seek out a spiritual essence in nature, allowing anything extraneous to this experience to seem to drop away.

Emily Carr I should have realized earlier that I couldn't have Goergia O'Keeffe and Agnes Pelton without adding Emily Carr. Her work also seems related to Charles Burchfield's. She seems to paint the wind.

Frederick Judd Waugh Known Best as a marine painter, he understands the physicality of the sea and powerfully conveys the experience of it.

Kaii Higashiyama Simulataneously grand and simple, his paintings are bold while holding a profound sense of quiet.

In looking over both lists I can see certain characteristics held in common. A strong affinity for nature is apparent, as well as the sense of mood. Technically, all of these artists combine softness and gradations with bold contrasts, shapes and composition. Values are key and so is a feeling for drama, even when it's a quiet grandeur.

What is Your Most Used Color?

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

Other than white, which may be the most used color for many painters, what is the the most often used color on your palette? For me it's a toss up between Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Orange. I use both of them a lot in mixing. The blue is obvious in the end results, but the Cadmium Orange might be a surprise. Not only do I use it a lot in under painting, but I just get something out of looking at it. Is there such a thing as a "color high"?

Vegan Art Supplies

Marsh - Boat graphite on paper 4 x 6"

©2011 Katherine Kean

This drawing is being worked into a painting. I may have decided to change the direction of the boat, perhaps because it's the start of a new year, it feels like it should be sailing out instead of in.

One of the changes that I've decided to make in 2011 is to seek out and use vegan Art Supplies. At first glance this doesn't seem to be too much of a challenge, but a closer look reveals animal products used in a variety of products that I would not have thought of. Brushes made from animal fur and paint named "bone black" are obvious. Bone black is a component of Gamblin's Van Dyke Brown, Ivory Black, Asphaltum, Portland Greys, and Payn's Grey. Gamblin's website lists the ingredients used in their paints. That the sizing used in my favorite Arches watercolor papers includes gelatin derived from animals is sad news. I had been using their watercolor paper for both drawing and watercolor and  I'm still looking for something to replace it with. I've heard that both Strathmore and Yupo use no animal products when they manufacture their papers. For drawing I might consider using Arches cover stock, which has no sizing.

The good news is that these days good synthetic brushes are available, so there's really no need for animals to be captured or killed to make a brush. I was also concerned that the oil primed linen that I like might be sized with rabbit skin glue. However it is not. Signature Canvas, who supplies my favorite painting surfaces considers rabbit skin glue as too unstable in humidity changes to use on linen, so they size instead with a synthetic glue. The gesso that they use for acrylic priming is also a kind that does not include any animal products. UPDATE: Signature Canvas is no longer in business. Most of the oil primed linen surface manufacturers I have contacted while sourcing substitutes have told me that they no longer use animal hide glues. Claessens pre-primed oil primed linen uses no animal products.

Updates: I've used Aquabee Super Deluxe Sketchbooks for about as far back as I can remember and I'm happy to report that the sizing used is cornstarch based, not gelatin or animal based.
Daler-Rowney Canford Drawing Papers are vegan.
Claessen's oil primed linen is vegan. 
Recent correspondence with Golden about their gesso discloses that there is no rabbit skin glue in their acrylic gesso, or in any of their acrylic products. Here is a link concerning vegan use of their products: http://www.goldenpaints.com/animalingredientsanimaltesting.
If in doubt contact the manufacturer to ask. I have found all of them responsive and helpful with the exception of Arches.

I will continue to update this post as I find more materials. Feel free to share this post if you find it useful. 

Shallow Water, Deep Sky

Shallow Water, Deep Sky 6 x 6" oil on linen
© 2010 Katherine Kean

Here's another small piece from the Great Marsh recently completed that I just brought into the gallery to replace one that sold.

I'm still at that point where I'm completing final touches (and sometimes revisions) on work and painting edges, wiring, and titling, while making forays and explorations into new work. I enjoy both, and even enjoy the slight tension of going back and forth between the two, although at times I feel a little divided.

I'm sure to feel this even more so as we head into spring. I've got two apple trees to plant and lots of new seeds ready to go into the ground. The daffodills are already up and blooming.

Saturday's Crowded Reception

Clouds Swirling Over the Great Marsh 18 x 24" oil on linen
© 2009 Katherine Kean

The painting above is included in The Best of TAG 2010 group exhibition. The opening reception was this past Saturday evening. It was wonderful to see a full crowd with both new and familiar faces. There were at least seven other openings happening at the same time so the parking lot was overflowing with the line of cars waiting to get in extending down the street all the way to the exit ramp and on the freeway. Many people said that they parked wherever they could and walked the rest of the way. Thanks to everyone who fought their way through the crowds to get there and my apologies to those that never did find a place to park and had to turn back. There is still plenty of time to see this exhibit. It'll be up through the 30th of this month.

We sold many signed copies of the book 100 Artists of the West Coast II, which includes the work of four TAG Gallery artists, myself among them. I think there are still a half a dozen of the signed copies left. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11am - 5pm.


Related Posts:


TAG Gallery Moves to Bergamot Station/Daily DuJour

TAG You're It/Art, Tiles, and Mosaics

New Place

A Small Look at the Great Marsh -SOLD-6 x 6" oil on linen
© 2009 Katherine Kean

I'm prepping work and updating my portfolio this week. Saturday is TAG's official opening day at the new location and I'll have one small piece as part of a group exhibit that opens December 5th and runs through December 26th.

I went by on Tuesday - which was move in day. The movers happened to have an irresistably adorable little puppy with them that someone had given one of them that morning while they were on the way to our location. Luckily someone had some spare dog supplies in her car and a box with a blanket was prepared. The puppy slept through the morning in her box, but later when she woke up I ran out and got some puppy food. Feeding her and taking her for a little walk was a fun distraction from moving.

When I left the painters were already making good progress even as furniture and office supplies were being moved in. It looks like everything will be all set for the opening on Saturday.

Great Marsh Sketch - Almost Raining

Almost Raining Great Marsh Sketch
© 2009 Katherine Kean

Here is the last of the Great Marsh sketches, at least for awhile. I have more sketches to do, but right now I'm looking forward to working more with color.

I've been thinking a lot about color lately and what color choices to make. I rely most on value to create mood, but there's no denying the impact of color, whether used naturally or emotionally.

What are your favorite palette choices? Do you use color realistically or naturally, emotionally, or expressively, or another approach?

I've worked a lot with de-saturated color and black and white, and I'd include it in the emotional category.