10 March, 2008

Kahn Project Report





So far in my Wolf Kahn Project, I feel that I have barely scratched the surface. The following is a mid course review of what I've observed/learned.


Going forward, I will be doing plein air drawings instead of copying the man's works. Let's see what we can do with what we've learned.

More in-depth observation could be made, but with limited time, I'll post this, and add more tidbits as the project continues.

11 comments:

jafabrit said...

Glad to hear things are slowly improving health wise and you are able to get back to doing your art.

I like reading about the process you are going through in your exploration of wolf kahn etc.

As you know I am not a pastel artist which is why I so enjoy visiting your blog and seeing what you do with it. Did you ever look at my friend Jan's work. It is very different, but like you LOVES colour.
http://www.dreamscapeson5th.com/

Anonymous said...

Casey,

Hope you're doing much better. I love what you've done with the project so far, and can't wait to see what you come up with next. But won't you have to sit in two feet of snow to do plein air right now? ;D

Casey Klahn said...

Right you are, Meg. The snow cover is about 50%, now. My bigger problem is juggling daddy day care, sleep, and other family things!

I do always have that camera...

Wow, Corrine, her website has a lot going on! Very Southwesty and bright!

Thanks for sticking in there on my pastel subjects. I am working to get the medium oriented content on pastelsblog, and keep this one for art & process. The Kahn project tries to avoid the medium talk.

WK has an interesting seam between his pastels and his oils.

Making A Mark said...

What's the difference between his pastels and his oils or isn't there one?

Very interesting to hear you talk about by what you find in his work - I find 'doing' uncovers so much about the process of 'doing'

Casey Klahn said...

WK's pastel drawings are very gestural, and executed small. I personally think the plasticity is greater in his pastels.

They feed color compositions to his paintings. "Inform" them, so to speak.

His oil paintings, some of which are very large, are quite a lot different from his drawings, in that transparent layers of oil paint become very much intrinsic in his paintings.

Medium means more in the hands of the master, IMHO.

Maybe a post idea here? Thanks, Katherine.

I have finished two original landscapes based on this project, and they are waiting for the photographer.

Unknown said...

Great project Casey! Wolf Kahn actually lives not too far from me. The town he lives in is about 30-40 minutes away in Vermont.

Casey Klahn said...

You are such the name dropper, Nicole. I'd be on his doorstep so often, I must say...

Thanks for reading!

Unknown said...

haha! Name dropper! I've never seen him have a show around here though - so living near him hasn't paid off! He did come to the college in my town to speak about the halocaust, but he wasn't going to talk about his art so I didn't go! :-O

Casey Klahn said...

I'm still trying to get the inside info on his once-a-year workshop. Anyone privy to that secret?

Nicole, I noticed his recent things on the holocaust. I'm lucky my family got out of Germany a generation before that mess! My grandmother was a German Jew.

Thanks for reading!

Anonymous said...

I love these. I would like to find out more about his workshops but I believe he gave his last one two years ago. I love Wolf Kahn, but I love your drawings. So amazing.
I am going to Coney Island today and hope to do some Wolf kahn inspired sketching. Here is one

http://amrita.gregjmarino.com/amrita_portfolio.php?image=2

I recall the comment in his Pastels book where he said he would travel to parts of NY to find places Rembrandt might have sketched. I am completely in that phase.

Casey Klahn said...

The whole macular degeneration thing has slowed down the WK workshops - which were thin in number to begin with, I guess. Here's hoping he'll give another one that I get the word on early enough to get into!

Very nice to meet you, Amrita. You have an interesting story, and I sure appreciate your reading here.

Abstract Expressionism, Art Criticism, Artists, Colorist Art, Drawing, History, Impressionism, Modern Art, Painting, Pastel, Post Impressionism