Happy Thanksgiving!

Reaching Through © 2013 Katherine Kean
diptych, oil on linen   12 x 16 inches each

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!

A Tree Against the Sky

Tree, Sky Sketch Katherine Kean 2013
graphite approximately 9 x 9 inches

 Georges Rouault said, "A tree against the sky possesses the same interest, the same character, the same expression as the figure of a human."

I've always thought so, and think the same of mountains, plains, rivers, and oceans.

"Here is the deepest secret nobody knows.
Here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
And the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
Which grows higher than soul can hope or mind can hide.
And this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart.
I carry your heart.
I carry it in my heart."
E E Cummings 

A Fine Day: Drawing

A Fine Day - Sketch (Scotland)  ©2013 Katherine Kean
graphite on paper approx 8 x 8 inches

"It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character."

Camille Pisarro

The Third Space

In addition to Ma, Notan is another design principle to think about. Also a Japanese term, Notan refers to the interplay of dark and light. For artists it is something to bear in mind for composition and value. While considering the layout of a work, Notan is part of the decision to break up the space with interesting shapes, and to balance the darks and lights in a pleasing way - or a disturbing way, if that’s
what you’re after.

 

One way to check a composition is to reverse your image. The inverted values help in seeing in an abstract way if the shapes are interesting and if the darks and lights are balanced.

 
Metaphorically, Notan is a combination of presence and absence. The two, by nature of their dynamic opposition, create tension, and a mysterious, transcendent, ‘third space’ is evoked.

Home Stretch

Branches triptych work in progress ©2012 Katherine Kean

oil on linen 8 x 8 in. each panel

I'm looking forward to completing the triptych shown above soon. When I get a chance, I find it's helpful for me to step back and look at work as a photo. I see things - overall patterns and suggestions that I'm not as likely to see on the easel where I'm focused more on details. It's helpful to get a look before it's too late to incorporate what I can learn from this perspective.

It's been challenging to find painting time this summer - a hazard for me as soon as the weather turns nice! Plus, I've had so many other studio projects happening, everything from re-photographing my current inventory for high resolution display to adding prices to all the work on my website. It is all getting done and for that I can thank the latest heat wave that has made it too hot to be distracted by the garden.

Work in Progress: Murmuration

Murmuration in progress © 2011 Katherine Kean
oil on linen triptych 48 x 126" overall

Here is what the large triptych taking up all the breathing room in my studio looks like at the moment- click on the image to see it enlarged. It will be getting a few more layers and I suspect the bird formations will change somewhat, but I'm not going to say in what way just yet. What I will say is that I'm glad that I did most of this painting during the longer days. At this time of year my studio seems a little darker every day and I have to start depending more and more on artificial light.

Energy and Art:Part Two



Separation Anxiety work in progress  ©2011 Katherine Kean  Private Collection
oil on linen triptych 18 x 42" overall

With a little time, listening, to music, watching a movie, or reading a book can change your mood. Artwork can also effect your mood, often instantly - something to keep in mind when choosing art and considering where to place it.

There may be places in your home that you want to maintain as a soothing sanctuary, so you might want to hang art there that conveys tranquility and calm. Places where you entertain or create may call for something that sparkles or energizes. In places where you do business you might want artwork that reminds you of abundance. A traditional Feng Shui choice might be images of birds – the birds representing opportunities and good news, and the more of them the better.

Color as well as content play a role as well and the effects these have will vary from person to person. What may be a soothing sage green to me, or an uplifting red, may seem a sickly or irritating shade to another. We all see color differently, so let how it makes you feel be a determining factor.

I believe that there is no value in adopting a belief unless it serves you well to believe it. Symbols may have cultural meaning as well, whether you consider a dragon lucky or threatening may depend on beliefs you were brought up with and haven't changed as well as experiences you've had. There is no need to change what you already consider auspicious – it’s easier to go with the flow. Just consider whether you are attracting or repelling energy, even, or especially, if it is on a subconscious level.

Sold: Coastal Pines Overlook I

Coastal Pines Overlook I  ©2011 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 6 x 6"

I spent all of yesterday afternoon at the emergency vet with my dog Bear. Somehow he got a foxtail in his ear, even though he was indoors at the time. There was quite a wait with lots of pets coming in needing immediate care. The wait was so long that Bear fell asleep under my chair. I've never seen him so relaxed in a vet's office before. What's more, I looked up to see someone I know coming through the door - a lovely woman that I've worked with over the years. She and her dog were experiencing their own canine medical emergency. We used the long wait to catch up. 

Our turn finally came. The vet got the foxtail out we went happily on our way. Once home, I found a message on the phone from the gallery saying that Coastal Pines Overlook I had sold.

Birds, Branches, and Torn Edges

Separation Anxiety work in progress graphite 4 x 12"

©2010 Katherine Kean

Between Holiday shopping, card writing, parties, and some artwork shipping (more on that later), I found some time to squeeze in this drawing. I've been captivated with the patterns that birds make in the air when they are flocking and roosting, and even more so with the bare branches starting to appear.

This piece is not quite finished, but the changes are so slight you probably wouldn't be able to notice from a the low resolution photograph that you are seeing online. It is composed on three pieces of paper with torn edges and I plan to frame them together in one frame, floating (no mat), with a tiny separation between the three - hence the title. I actually enjoy tearing paper and I usually prefer the way it looks over cut paper.

On another note, would you believe that I just now found the spell checker on blogger? Now I have no excuses left for my typos!

Passing Through

Passing Through
4 x 7" graphite © 2010 Katherine Kean

This drawing, of an imaginary migration, is headed for the gallery this week. I suspect I'll end up doing a larger version of this in oil since I've explored this theme more than once in the past and keep returning to it to try and discover a bit more.

On another note, one of my recent paintings has been accepted as a winner in the May Showcase Awards, which is Art Slant's online competition. You can see it on the Art Slant 3rd 2010 Showcase page of their website.

New Work, Monterey Cypress Trees

Point Lobos Path With Steps © 2012 Katherine Kean
oil on linen  18 x 14 in.

This is a new oil in a series inspired by the coastal path through Monterey Cypress Trees at Point Lobos, California. Some earlier studies that this developed from can be found here.