22 January, 2011

Dusk With Orange


Dusk With Orange
@ 5" x 7"
Pastel
Casey Klahn
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31 comments:

Sonya Johnson said...

Wonderful in its simplicity, palette and execution, Casey.

Glad you're able to post more of your work on the blog - I thoroughly enjoy all of it.

January 22, 2011 at 10:11 AM
Mary Paquet said...

Such quiet beauty. You've created a handsome piece with interesting shapes and lovely muted tones sparked with a bit of orange, creating a lovely impression of the prairies.

January 22, 2011 at 10:27 AM
Casey Klahn said...

Thanks, Sonya and Mary for the kind and detailed comments. I first rejected this piece, but for some reason it looked good to me this morning.

January 22, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Nika said...

I like how subtle yet well defined this drawing is, it has a strong core.
I'm curious about your choice of sparkling orange. Is there a particular reasoning behind it other then it looks good there?

January 22, 2011 at 3:53 PM
Jeanette Jobson said...

This is wonderful Casey. Its quiet and understated then that shot of hot orange just pulls me right in. I love it.

January 22, 2011 at 4:08 PM
Casey Klahn said...

Hi, Nika! Thanks for looking at this painting. One way to answer your question is to look at it, and imagine the painting without the orange.

Another way to see it is that it is analogous to the pink-violets that are all over.

Thanks, Jeanette. I think of hot, for sure, when I see that orange. It is unambiguous.

January 22, 2011 at 5:16 PM
Sarah Bachhuber Peroutka said...

I LOVE the new header on your blog. Very cool.

January 22, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Sara Mathewson said...

Very beautiful Casey!

January 22, 2011 at 6:45 PM
Casey Klahn said...

Thank you, Sara!

Thank you, Sarah! I wondered if anyone noticed.

January 22, 2011 at 9:03 PM
Katherine van Schoonhoven said...

Love the new banner, Casey! And the painting packs a big punch with that tiny bit of orange. I really enjoy the beauty of the simple shapes and the color harmony. It says a lot, with few words.

January 22, 2011 at 10:13 PM
Celeste Bergin said...

Gutsy!

January 22, 2011 at 11:39 PM
Brian McGurgan said...

Very nice, Casey. Did you pre-select your palette here, or did you move intuitively from one color choice to the next as you worked? Were the vibrant, warm oranges part of the original plan or did you arrive there as the painting progressed? It's a profoundly different painting when I cover the oranges with my finger on the screen. Those bright strokes pull me right in and send my eyes along a serpentine path back into the distance.

January 23, 2011 at 9:47 AM
Casey Klahn said...

Thank you, Kvan. It is a memory piece from a scene close to here on Highway 2.

Celeste - thanksy!

Here are your answers, Brian. I had no plan for the colors at all, including the orange that appeared as an afterthought. I must have started with the green-grays and the pinkish-violets, which was the first decision point. After that, everything was a response, I guess.

January 23, 2011 at 9:59 AM
Kendra said...

Just love those subtle, colorful grays and the striking bits of orange.

January 23, 2011 at 12:50 PM
SamArtDog said...

I assume your very handsome banner is from the river series?

You've incited a riot by yelling "orange!", Casey. I love how everyone wants to know how it got there. I want to know, did the very vivid green come before, during or after it?

January 23, 2011 at 4:24 PM
loriann signori said...

Hi Casey,
I like the new slimmer header. And I also really like the orange. I must say I only question the line/edge on the right side of the tree. The orange is a moment of Sargent -like bravado.

January 23, 2011 at 5:55 PM
Casey Klahn said...

A number of recent posts have brought out new commenters, and I am happy about that.

Thanks, Kendra. I think the gray that looks or imitates green is the king, here. It sets the whole mood.

January 23, 2011 at 6:13 PM
Casey Klahn said...

Hi, Loriann! I'm glad you noticed the slim banner. That was the goal - to try to bring up the page more. I only worry that the page content looks like chatter, or too busy. Before, the full size banner was at least a clear statement. Not married to the brown, either.

Love that word, bravado, and the Sargent reference.

I noticed the line, too, and wondered why I did it, or what it was. I think it might be due to the small size - harder to bring in a finicky temp or value shift to create a non-edge. It does add volume, which I like, and I like the reminder that it's a picture.

January 23, 2011 at 6:20 PM
Casey Klahn said...

Yes, Sam, the banner is a suitably long river scene. Thanks for seeing it.

That question about the green is the best! It probably came after the orange. Good thinking. I painted this one last summer.

BTW, the sky color is a light value orange.

January 23, 2011 at 6:24 PM
Vivian M Patton said...

I love the way the sun is just kissing parts of the scene. Beautiful and inspiring.

January 23, 2011 at 8:17 PM
Casey Klahn said...

Thank you kindly, Vivian.

January 23, 2011 at 8:28 PM
Making A Mark said...

This one jumps off the page in the thumbnail in the blogroll. Very subdued and yet says "look at me"!

January 24, 2011 at 3:20 AM
Casey Klahn said...

Thanks, Katherine!

Yeah, I think the grated-up olive green (or maybe it's more of an apple green) is the workhorse. Then the pinkish rose-violet, and then the orange.

January 24, 2011 at 4:10 AM
Casey Klahn said...

I meant "grayed-up."

January 24, 2011 at 4:15 AM
Jala Pfaff said...

Mmm, lovely soft tones contrasted with vibrant sparkly line bits!

January 25, 2011 at 9:00 PM
Casey Klahn said...

Thank you, Jala.

January 25, 2011 at 9:05 PM
Art Matters said...

The flurry of comments about the orange shows just how a little of the right colour can add a powerful zing to a painting.

I wish that my pastels were not in a box in a container somewhere on a ship - you inspire me to go back to the medium!I'll just have to be patient...

January 26, 2011 at 4:53 AM
Casey Klahn said...

All the comments do make me happy, Carol. You will have your pastels again, and I hope you'll enjoy them.

Are you in transit, nowadays?

January 26, 2011 at 6:53 AM
Unknown said...

Yes!! You are a colorist.

January 26, 2011 at 10:02 AM
Art Matters said...

Casey, I moved to Brisbane in mid- December and my goods are now sitting in a warehouse awaiting the attention of customs!

January 26, 2011 at 10:05 PM
Casey Klahn said...

Thank you, Kathy, for the acclamation.

Carol, now I know what you mean. Good luck on that!

January 27, 2011 at 7:44 AM

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