A busy year

Volcano Night ©2016 Katherine Kean

oil on linen 8 x 16 inches

Some years seem to go by with nary a milestone. That doesn't mean that nothing is happening, just that much of it might be confined to the studio, or even residing quietly in the imagination waiting to be born. For me, 2015 was not one of those years. How or why, I can't say. It has been a year of exhibitions and journeys.

Here are some highlights. 

 National Weather Center Biennale 

Wilderness Mind, Activating Wonder 

TRAC 2015 (Thank you, Shanna)

 A visit to Cape Cod - and a quick trip to the Yale Gallery of Art

Hawaii - Magic Island  

Exhibitions, group, local, pop up, and open studio...

click on the image for a corresponding post.

Here's to 2015 and looking forward to a wonderful 2016. Wishing you all the best. 

Happy New Year!


All images ©2015 Katherine Kean

Sketches: El Niños and Other Atmospheric Conditions

Angeles Forest Storm Square Sketch
©2015 Katherine Kean
graphite 8 x 8 inches

Conditions are good for more storm cloud artwork. It looks - and feels - like an El Niño year and my favorite weather blog confirms it. El Niño is already here and is expected to be one of the largest, in fact, "a majority of the global atmosphere ocean models are currently suggesting the potential for an event rivaling the strongest event in the historical record." Even though El Niño doesn't guarantee rain, it does draw the probability closer. And even though it won't solve our drought, it can't hurt.

Chain of Craters Clouds Sketch
©2015 Katherine Kean
graphite 8 x 8 inches

 The sketch above is from Hawaii, along the Chain of Craters Road. Storm clouds are much more dependable there. They also have a different look. I'd say the clouds are taller - loftier - and brighter.

Volcano Fumes at Night Sketch
©2015 Katherine Kean
graphite 6 x 10 inches

This last sketch, also from Hawaii, is of the atmospheric conditions over the volcano. It wasn't easily apparent to me whether the clouds were from weather or from the volcanic fumes, or a mix of both.

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Magic Island

I'm back from visiting the Big Island Hawaii. I travelled first to the Kona side, to the beautiful Mauna Lani Bay. The air was soft and warm, and not too hot. On the way there I could see the summit of Mauna Kea covered with snow.

A couple of days later, rested and refreshed, I drove north and then east and then south past Hilo to Pahoa. 

Along the way I found waterfalls and tropical gardens. In Pahoa I went to a Robert Moss dream workshop: The Temple of Dream Healing, which was like a journey - or series of journeys within a journey.

After the workshop disbanded I went to the Volcano and stayed on the crater. At night, and at dawn and dusk, I drew, painted and photographed the glow from within the crater. I got a couple of lucky shots of  nēnē flying over the crater.

In the daytime I explored the area around the volcano and drove the Chain of Craters road, tracing the history of the lava flows all the way down to the ocean and back again.

These 3 x 5 and 4 x 6 inch studies are reminders, that I'll use along with memories and reference photos to paint by.

In the Top 100: Paint the Parks 2011

Rapidly Changing Conditions  © 2010 Katherine Kean 

oil on linen 20 x 30"

Three of my paintings have been chosen to be included in the Top 100 picks of Paint America's 2011 Paint the Parks competition. Rapidly Changing Conditions, above is included in the Top 100 main category and the two paintings below, Maine: Tides, Rocks and Vent are both in the Top 100 mini category for paintings that are 180 square inches or less.

PaintAmerica’s “Paint the Parks” is an open international artists’ juried competition with proceeds to help fund the PaintAmerica mission of supporting the visual arts and artists across the country. A portion of proceeds from “Paint the Parks” will be contributed to the National Parks Foundation and the PaintAmerica Scholarship Fund.


Paintings in this competition must depict one of our nation's 390 areas supervised by the National Park Service.Rapidly Changing Conditions and Vent portray Hawaii's Volcanoes National Park, while Maine: Tides, Rocks represents Acadia National Park.

Maine: Tides, Rocks   © 2010 Katherine Kean 

oil on linen 8 x 10"

Vent  © 2010 Katherine Kean 

oil on linen 10 x 10" 

Changing Conditions

Rapidly Changing Conditions oil on linen 20 x 30"
©2010 Katherine Kean

Although I am technically finished painting for my show, new images continue to come to mind. The painting above shows the Kilauea fumerole as the wind shifts direction scattering the ash and steam emanations. I love the shapes and patterns that the wind makes.

I've heard that the lava is flowing again and I hope to get a chance to go see sometime in the next few months. In the meantime I've been keeping up to date through the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory page.

Here at home our amazing weather has shifted from a pattern of late season marine layers and cooler than normal temperatures to warmer, yet still nice, conditions. Maybe now the summer vegetables will make some more progress! In the meantime, I've been enjoying grapes, beans, greens, and an artichoke.

Where the Lava Meets the Sea

Where the Lava Meets the Sea
8 1/2 x 8 1/2" pencil on paper
© 2010 Katherine Kean

This is not that eruption. This drawing is of the steam plume that forms when the lava meets the sea, from the ongoing eruptions in Hawaii. From the National Park Service website, "The steam plume produced by lava entering the ocean contains fine lava fragments and an assortment of acid droplets."

I'm one of those people who cannot seem to get enough of the sights of natural phenomena, the shifts and events, including storms and volcanos. I'm not referring to images of destruction and loss, but the visual evidence of the energy released - the rolling, spinning, spilling, rising, and billowing force. I also find these phenomena challenging and fun to paint.

I Saw it in the Sky

Converging Conditions work in progress 48 x 60" oil on linen
© 2009 Katherine Kean

I'm back on the large surfaces again with the initial over layer of color complete on this, the largest one, while the other is getting it's finishing touches. I'm liking the effect of working on large areas with big brushes. I'd like to keep it as simple as this is while still feeling complete about it, although I'm wondering how it'll fit in with the rest of my work. Time - and the application of paint - will tell.

Previous Stages:

Storm Clouds Over Lava Field

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