An Afternoon at the LA Art Show

Saturday I went downtown to the LA Convention Center to see as much of the LA Art Show as I could see in an afternoon. It took place in a huge space and seemed endless. I suppose one can't expect to take it all in in a few hours, yet I made sure that I looked into every booth - but so much of it was a blur.

A few booths stood out to me, such as the Winterowd Gallery and the Erik Thomsen Gallery; both very well set up and elegantly arranged.

The Winterowd Gallery has some beautiful Charlie Burk Grass paintings.

I was also captivated by Sung-Tae Park's mesh wall sculptures at the Pyo Gallery Booth. They made such beautiful shadows.

One of the best aspects of the day was running into people I know in the crowd!

You can look through a catalog of the participating galleries online.

I had hoped to get o the Art Los Angeles Contemporary Fair on Sunday, but sadly my poor dog had to go to the pet emergency room for back pain. He's on medication now and feeling a little better and will see his regular vet today about further treatment. What happened to cause the injury remains a mystery.

Palm Springs Fine Art Fair February 14 – 17

 

I'm excited to be exhibiting with Izen Miller Gallery at this year's Palm Springs Fine Art Fair on February 14 through 17. Come see us in Booth 211. 

The focus of the second annual Palm Springs Fine Art Fair is on providing an extraordinary art experience in a relaxed and beautiful resort environment. Collectors will have access to 55 top galleries who are defining the contemporary art scene, along with opportunities to interact with curators and members from the Southwest's leading art museums and cultural organizations.

 I'll send free day pass information to my newsletter subscribers, so remember to sign up below if you haven't already. 

PALM SPRINGS FINE ART FAIR 

Palm Beach Convention Center 

277 N Avenida Caballeros, Palm Springs, CA 92262 

www.palmspringsfineartfair.com 

Thursday, February 14, VIP Preview Part 6 PM - 9 PM (Requires VIP Pass) 

Friday, February 15, IO AM - 8 PM 

Saturday, February 16, lO AM - 8 PM 

Sunday, Feb 17, 1O AM - 6 PM

Hope to see you there!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

For Email Marketing you can trust

Happy New Year

Cloud Billows Over Scotland Hill ©2012 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 6 x 6 inches Private Collection

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and hoping that it is prosperous, successful, and fulfilling. I love hearing about everyone's New Year traditions and resolution routines, whether it's eating a plate of black eyed peas, or keeping an accomplishment jar.

 I've been thinking of trying out the jar idea; which is to write down each accomplishment on a slip of paper and add it to the jar throughout the year. As the year progresses you can see the jar fill up and at the end of the year open the jar and remind yourself of all the great things you've achieved. I like that this idea uses a jar, which is something physically very apparent, and not just a notebook somewhere. Notebooks to me are too easy to misplace.

 Last year on New Year's day I wrote down some things I wanted to accomplish during the year. I folded up that list and slipped it into an envelope that I tucked away so that now I can read it and see how I did. Unfortunately, I don't know where I put the envelope! It has somehow disappeared in the flurry of action. Maybe finding this lost item will be something I can add to the jar....

Top 5 Posts in 2012

 Of the 42 posts published here in 2012 these are the most searched, visited, and read:

5. Back to Go A painting inspired by El Matador State Beach in Malibu and about the potential California State Park closures that we managed to avert - yay!

4. Creation is Subtraction “Creation is not capricious or random addition; it is intelligent and selective subtraction.” The God Theory: Universes, Zero-Point Fields, and What's Behind It All, Bernard Haisch

3. Can Artwork Make You Cry?  The answer is yes. It can also make you feel angry, seasick, energized, elated, and more.

2. Thinking About the Third Thing D.H. Lawrence's non rhyming quote. What is the 'Third Thing'? I'm still wondering....

1. Art.sy Experience A browsing session on Artsy's enormous art genome website. Have you visited yet?

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.

Reserving Space

Sky, Rocks, Beach sketch Katherine Kean
graphite

Have you ever experienced 'the Gap', the space between thoughts when the mind is still?They say that when no thoughts distract you, you can experience present moment awareness, and from cultivating present moment awareness, inner wisdom and joy arise.

Clouds Over Water sketch Katherine Kean
graphite

 There is a Japanese word, "Ma," which translated means "gap", "space", "pause" or "the space between two structural parts" and is experienced through progressive intervals of spatial designation. It is an awareness of place as the simultaneous awareness of form and non-form and happens in the mind of the viewer.

A Painting Moment: Video Interview

A Moment with Katherine Kean from Aaron Landman and Joe Gasparik on Vimeo 

This video interview was shot this summer when friends Aaron Landman and Joe Gasparik came to the studio in the September heat and set up their equipment; fitting camera, lights, and recording gear wherever they could between wet canvases , flat files, and easel. From sketching to painting, peeking over my shoulder and close up on the palette they went about capturing thoughts about my painting process along with a behind the scenes look inside my studio.

Bear was also on hand - mostly sleeping and otherwise on good behavior. You can catch a glimpse of him keeping watch in the background.