My Top 12 of 2012

<><><>

To commemorate the outgoing year, I have judged my own favorite "Top 12 of 2012" artworks. Some of those that didn't make the cut I still love very much. It feels a little like the process where you send in an image to a juried show, and the one you really love yourself is not accepted. It is a good exercise, and I recommend you try it on your own body of art from the year.

The blue lettered images are still available.  Inquiries here.

 All the Colors Field

5.5" x 10.5"

Pastel

 Bald Ridge at Dusk

12.75" x 10" 

Pastel

 Barn Interior Color Sketch

7" x 6"

Pastel

 Field Colors

6" x 7"

Pastel

 Diptych

Forest Deep 1 and 2

12" x 7" each

Pastel

 Forest Pond

8" x 12"

 Pastel 

 Multi Tree

7" x 4.5"

Pastel

 Soft Canola Yellow

5" x 6"

Pastel

 Umber Fields

8" x 6"

Pastel

 Violet in the Treeline

9.5" x 6.1"

Pastel

 Violet Mountain

3.5" x 3.75"

Pastel

Windbreak

6" x 12" 

Pastel

Death and a Woman Struggling for a Child, 1911

Death and a Woman Struggling for a Child, 1911

16 1/8th. x 16 3/16ths. inches.

Etching

Käthe Kollwitz 

Yes, It Is The Bleak Midwinter, Now That You Mention It

<><><>

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; 

Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, 

In the bleak midwinter, long ago. 

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;

Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign. 

In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed 

The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. 

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,

Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay; 

Enough for Him, whom angels fall before, 

The ox and ass and camel which adore. 

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air; 

But His mother only, in her maiden bliss, 

Worshipped the beloved with a kiss. 

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; 

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; 

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart. 

Verses: Rossetti; Music: Cranham, Holst.

Snow 2012 and Videos You Should See

Snow Photos 2012

Casey Klahn

Notable Post.

I enjoyed Paula Kuitenbrouwer's post about bibliophilia today.  I think many bloggers, although wired, for some reason revere the printed word.  I certainly do, and the older the book, the better. 

Other Ramblings on the Internet.  

See this video post featuring Sheila M. Evans. You'll also enjoy this You Tube interview of artist Albert Handell.

As Dewe in Aprille

I Sing of a Maiden

Studio News, Ruth Andre, Videos, and Merry Christmas!

This Christmas card to you was waiting for the right day to post, and today is it.  Merry Christmas and happy holidays to my readers!   

A holiday greeting: Christmas colors of my barn's interior.  Appropriate for the birth of the Savior, who was placed in the crib, or the trough where the animals fed.

I've been meaning to make another painting of the barn interior, but artist Ruth Andre, of Sutter Creek, California, beat me to it.  It will influence me next time, no doubt, as I am amazed at the accuracy of feeling, texture and effect she achieves. Thanks for doing this strong abstract, Ruth!

Casey's Barn 

6" x 6"

oil on canvas 

Ruth Andre

Many new artworks have been posted here over the past month, and since we took those photos, I have been in the studio daily creating more works of all sizes.  In other studio news, I have been fielding lots of workshop requests, and will be forced to do some administrative work to sort all of the paperwork out, and will be planning for these.  

The subject of Elements of Art has been the hot topic at my other blog, Pastel Workshop.  I haven't finished all of the posts, yet, but did post When Artists Unify this past week.  Thanks to my readers for the nice reception of this article, and since the series has been so well received  I am thinking about making it into a book.  It will be available in ebook form (if I can crack the code on that task) and I am looking around for the right publishing choice for the proposed hard copy.  What do you suggest?

The following video is my list of the elements of art and the dynamics of design.  In more studio news, there is an interview or studio session video in the plans for me at a professional film studio.  More on that as events progress.

I also found this following longer version of Matisse in his studio, filmed in 1946.  He lived near Nice, and it was the Hollywood of France.  His models were typically actresses and extras from that industry, and so the production of this film short was inevitable.  I wish it were longer.

A Painting Day, Ruth Andre.
Matisse film from Christie's.

Green In The Land

Green Land

4.75" x 5.2"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

What is Unity?

"Unity is the spirit of the elements in your art working together."

When Artists Unify

River Land Air

River Land in Diffusion

7" x 5"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Quite Right, Slick

Soft Canola Yellow

5" x 6"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

All The Nations

Psalm 67

Happy Thanksgiving!

These Are The Colors I See

Click image for full view
Above the Valley
10" x 18.5"
Pastel
Casey Klahn

The Fall Studio

Staying warm in the studio this Fall and painting daily.  Here are the various works; some small and some large works.  I'm getting about 5 or 6 done per week.

Forest Deep Pastels

Diptych

Forest Deep 1 and 2

12" x 7" each

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Deep Woods Eleven

11 Alder Men

5.5" x 6"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Teaching Mondays

Monday studio lessons.  Shown are Ernestine and Carol; 

not shown are Cindy and Kathleen.

In response to requests, I have started teaching Mondays in my studio.  Four local artists are making the trek out to my kind-of-remote location to learn some pastel basics and receive individual coaching.  We'll be doing this until the snow flies.  Oops.  We're covered in snow today!  I think it will go away, though, and next Monday we'll be back on track.

I'm selling some framed and unframed works here and at Facebook.  Please see this page for links to the images for sale.  Patrons are sending me checks, or using PayPal, to secure these original pastels.  How to arrange a purchase, you ask?  E-mail me or message me on Facebook.  Thanks!

Sky, Field, and Deep Woods

Click on the image for the full view

All the Colors Field

5.5" x 10.5"

Pastel

Casey Klahn 

Here at The Colorist, and also on Facebook, I am offering framed works in many sizes, and unframed works, for sale.  Price List.  How to Purchase.

The Air One Breathes

Upland Air

6.5" x 8"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

"The air one sees in the paintings of the masters 

is not the air one breathes," Edgar Degas.

Red & Green Vignette

Red & Green Vignette
8.75" x 9"
Pastel
Casey Klahn

Yes, you did see this one here a few months ago.  This is the formal and better photo record.

More Umber Age

Umber Thicket

6.5" x 4.5"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Umber Age.

Umber Age

Umber Fields

8" x 6"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Pin Interest Pinterest

Here are some new boards that I have started.  The Simplicity board is very new, and it is curated to show art that is irreducible.  Well, most of the time:  it is a hard board to judge, but very revealing and much fun.

Simplicity

Modernists

Artists We Know

Northwest Art

Drawing is the Probity of Art

See Differently

Figure

Video Killed the Radio Star

I just thought of that eighties song because of how video has become the new currency in social media.  Instead of "radio star," you might insert "artist blogger." This new emphasis on video is a bit intimidating, since most of us don't have a degree in videography. 

All that to say that while I am happy with most of my videos, this particular one is only so-so.  Live and learn.  What don't I like?  It has too much "Casey Klahn" at the start.  If you can get past that, please enjoy the pastel and the really generous words by Jackie Simmonds.

Speaking of learning, there were four artists in my remote and rural studio yesterday watching me do a demo, and then accepting critiques of their work done in class.  It was too blustery to go outside, but they found views through the windows.  That makes me realize what a blessing it is to have a commanding view right here.  God is good.

Other videos.

Fall Foliage demo on the easel.  Not quite finished yet.

Color & Wolf Kahn

<><><>

Wolf Kahn, Color & Consequence

from Ameringer | McEnery | Yohe on Vimeo.


I find that embedded videos that are not You Tube load slower than anything You Tube.  What is up with that?

There is a river image in this exhibit that solves a compositional problem for me on a particular river work that has noodled around in my head for a number of years.  It is a transformative thing.  You may enjoy Wolf Kahn's color ideas, but his compositions are very edgy and deserve some study.

You're Welcome

<><><>

issuu

Degas With Keyboard Backup

***

Chopin and Degas.

Ocean Grays

Ocean Bluff

7.2" x 7.2"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Webcam View

Italy - Evening Light

Small

Pastel

Casey Klahn

More Drawings, Especially Degas

I'm feeling the urge to really get busy drawing.  The change of season always does that to me.  Here is a post from the drawing archive.

Degas Influence

At The Bar - Copy of Degas

@22" x 17"

Charcoal, Conte & Pastel 

Casey Klahn

Progress

This post was first published at Pastel Workshop in 2011.

I think this was a practical exercise from a text book.

Detail

Charcoal, Conte and White Chalk

@ 8" x 12"

Casey Klahn

Okay.  I fixed the eye placement and the lip.  It is fascinating how once good abilities can evade me after too many years out of practice.  Figures and heads require lots of practice, and then there's the art part, too.

This is done on newsprint.

Green & Red

<><><>

Green & Red Vignette

7" x 8"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Colors Afield

Click on the image to see it whole
All The Colors Field
small/ @ 3.5" x 7"
Pastel
Casey Klahn

Colorist Art Pins

Atonement, detail #1

@8" x 15"

Casey Klahn

This pastel I renamed "Atonement."  

What is colorist art?  That is a question I get asked much.  Try this Pinterest board for a visual commentary on colorist "ism."

Jackie Simmonds Reports On Seeing Differently

<><><>

Windbreak, 6" x 12.5"

Casey Klahn

 "It (Windbreak) gives me JOY, because I so thoroughly enjoy those tiny, rich touches of turquoise, blue and pink between the network of branches - masterful, beautiful, surprising, delightful.  I just want to stare and stare at them.  And that royal blue..why would he use that, asks the logical brain......but in the hands of someone confident and brave - just look how successful and oh how visually satisfying - particularly with that little touch of pink at the base of the picture..," Jackie Simmonds.

Seeing Differently, as posted by Jackie Simmonds.

Many thanks, Jackie.  It does pay the artist to see differently, because if you can say something authentic, the world will beat a path to your door. 

Jackie Simmonds is a very accomplished artist who resides in the United Kingdom.  She is the author of multiple books on art, sketching and and pastels.

Mindful Thoughts on Seeing Differently

Handedness and the integration of one's art.

Thanks to Dutch artist and blogger, Paula Kuitenbrouwer, for seeing my art as a way to unlock new possibilities.  That is the idea:  give up on reason a bit, and follow the brush. Except in my case, it is the pastel stick.

Her post, Changing from Right Hand Drawing to Left Hand Drawing (or vice versa), is advice for a reader who is suffering a loss of function in her dominant hand.  My immediate reaction to this was how hard it would be for me to switch hands for writing, but that in art making there would be less trouble.  My thought is that art is so much more than technique!  It is ideas & reactions; expressions.

Mindful Drawing.

Image: Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452-1519). Study for the Hands of Saint John, ca. 1491-93. Black chalk on paper. 11.7 x 15.2 cm (4 9/16 x 5 15/16 in.) The Royal Collection © 2011, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. h/t: About.com.