04 November, 2010

Have Ideas

Hoquiam River Bright
10" x 14.75"
Pastel & Charcoal
Casey Klahn


Here are some thoughts on painting:
  • A painting must become more than the sum of its parts.
  • A painting is a history of what happened to the artist.
  • An artist should communicate his ethos through his art.
  • I believe that a painting should affirm the personal.
I made a map of my art ideas. My 7 year-old daughter added her input, too.

Here is the theme music for this post ( Right Click to open a new tab). Open in your media player.



You might need to update your adobe reader to view my illustration.













Previous Mind Maps
Map Your Ideas

14 comments:

SamArtDog said...

Another thought-provoking essay, Casey. Your previously published mind map and your list of 100 favorite things about art have both become oft-used models, puzzles of the highest order. Spirit-teasers. Thanks again.

Jean Spitzer said...

Haven't gotten to the map/music yet, but while it's loading, that's a lovely painting.

Jean Spitzer said...

Finally saw it; well drawn/said/thought. You're articulating things I've been thinking about succinctly and lucidly.

Celeste Bergin said...

That painting is devine--the music is too! The Mind map is interesting....I can guess what part is your daughter's idea. haha. Great post. Has me thinking!

Casey Klahn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Casey Klahn said...

Those are finely spun words, SamArtDog - I am humbled by that. Thank you for reading these posts!

Jean, you are an ever faithful reader, too. I enjoy our interactions here, at yours and at Kathy's blog.

Hey, Celeste! I had to honor my daughter's opinion - there may be more to it than we first think, huh?

Diane Widler Wenzel said...

Referring to making things pretty: I am aware when I am painting that I have a need to recognize accidental pretty visual connections that just happen. Sometimes I want to enhance these happy accidents and other times I want to scrub them away.

Casey Klahn said...

Yeah, Diane - you are on to one of the subtexts I have been hinting at in this series. I recently posted the video series by Roger Scruton, who is an important philosopher that is taking up the need for beauty in art.

He takes on Duchamp, and I love the way he says, "you-RYE-nal" when he speaks of the ready mades.

Candylei said...

love your use of color and shapes!

Candylei

Casey Klahn said...

Thank you very much, Candy.

Katherine van Schoonhoven said...

Thinking. Thinking. Thinking. My head might be stuffed with fluff from time to time, but what you say makes sense. More than replicating what is seen, let us see the human filtering of the artist!

Robin said...

love the "mind map"! I referred one of my former students to your blog, she used to paint with watercolor but now is doing wonderful pastel work. Your pastels and blog are inspiring.

Casey Klahn said...

Thank you kindly, Robin!

Kvan - good Pooh riff. I imagine that I couldn't absorb a Kitty Wallis workshop, and a Mind Map from the Twilight Zone all at once.

Brian McGurgan said...

Thanks for the thought-provoking Artist Ideas posts, Casey. Your focus and comentary has been helpful to me in formalizing some of my own ideas about my work and where I want to go with it. Hoquiam River Bright is a beauty - I'd love to see it in person.

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