Riposte -Repost

I am making a fine recovery from my operation on Tuesday. It will be a while before I am 100%, as my medical professional wife and I agree, it would be hard to find a more painful operation to have done. Meanwhile, enjoy a re-posting of this Barn subject essay.

Anthology of American Literature, McMichael.

Elijah Shifrin at Art & Critique has written about my barn and rural building subjects in his article, "Casey Klahn: Barns And The Abstract Wizard Of Washington".

Elijah is thoughtfully focused on the abstract qualities of my building paintings. I have carefully tried to avoid being cast as "the barn guy". The reason is that sentiment is so easily attached to this great American symbol, and yet sentiment is bygone content in contemporary art. The challenge has been to de-construct this awe inspiring structure and make it relevant for today's art.

My Barn
Photo: Lorie Klahn

Working against my efforts to keep the barn image down have been a number of forces. Sales, believe it or not, has been a force tugging at my shirt tail. The popularity of this theme and image, the American Gambrel barn, has been so high that sales of anything barn related are a fairly easy turn. The great thematic content that is associated with the barn is reflected by the book cover that has my Red Barn with Ramp image on it: An Anthology of American Literature, by McMichael. Another force is the fact that I live out here in the rural landscape where every farm has a big barn.

Barn Sketch
Pencil
Casey Klahn

Here in Davenport, WA, the barn isn't just American myth writ large, but an actual part of our lives. To be sure, the way of life is changing. The Heath family pioneered this farm at a spot about five minutes walk down canyon from my house. When the internal combustion engine started to replace livestock for locomotion, the farmers were able to build their houses and outbuildings uphill and farther from spring water sources. My family are the third owners of this farm, and the agricultural roots are gradually being eclipsed for a number of reasons. How wonderful for us to not see another house from ours!

Violet Oil Drum
7.5" x 10.5"
Soft Pastel
Casey Klahn

I'm heartened that Elijah has seen the abstract elements that are key to these building paintings. Shapes, colors and position are the content, more than the buildings themselves. Don't get me wrong. I'm as much a sucker for the deep meaning of the American barn as the next guy. My father built a barn once upon a time. And, the building in my iconic painting is my own barn.

Thumbnail of Barn
Pastel
Casey Klahn

The architect who designed the Gambrel barn was a flat out genius. The way the barn structure occupies the open land in rural America is stunning in scope and even vision. My barn, which is no longer used for any working good, occupies a side hill and commands a territorial view. I have some pride in owning it, but the Great Horned Owl that frequents it seems to have a bigger claim by virtue of time spent there.

Behind the Garage
Graphite on Sketch Paper
7" x 8.5"
Casey Klahn

Wolf Kahn uses the barn image a great deal in his work. He has taken it down to the pictorial elements with content that describes the position of the building on a slope or prominence, and elements like through-looking doors and windows, and severe value gradients.

The Heins' Farm
7.5" 15"
Casey Klahn
Private Collection

The story of my Red Barn with Ramp image I have told many times. I received a box of twelve "Wolf Kahn" Terrage pastels made by Diane Townsend, and in a first moment of inspiration I made a very small thumbnail sketch with the colors. It was the barn image just as it is seen on the book cover, except that sketch was about 1 inch square. I was in the moment, entranced by pure color and by the tactile qualities of the big, thick pastel sticks. Abstract shapes were the tools, and color was the content.

Elijah has written a good back story to the barn and building themes. The literary link to The Wizard of Oz is apt. The elemental truth of my surroundings is hard to contradict. Wind, sun, sky and agriculture. Can an artist overcome his environment long enough to forge content that aspires to higher art? I suggest not thinking too hard, but letting the hand and eye draw intuitively. Maybe that's the only way.

Barn Free

Anthology of American Literature, McMichael.

Elijah Shifrin at Art & Critique has written about my barn and rural building subjects in his article, "Casey Klahn: Barns And The Abstract Wizard Of Washington".

Elijah is thoughtfully focused on the abstract qualities of my building paintings. I have carefully tried to avoid being cast as "the barn guy". The reason is that sentiment is so easily attached to this great American symbol, and yet sentiment is bygone content in contemporary art. The challenge has been to de-construct this awe inspiring structure and make it relevant for today's art.

My Barn
Photo: Lorie Klahn

Working against my efforts to keep the barn image down have been a number of forces. Sales, believe it or not, has been a force tugging at my shirt tail. The popularity of this theme and image, the American Gambrel barn, has been so high that sales of anything barn related are a fairly easy turn. The great thematic content that is associated with the barn is reflected by the book cover that has my Red Barn with Ramp image on it: An Anthology of American Literature, by McMichael. Another force is the fact that I live out here in the rural landscape where every farm has a big barn.

Barn Sketch
Pencil
Casey Klahn

Here in Davenport, WA, the barn isn't just American myth writ large, but an actual part of our lives. To be sure, the way of life is changing. The Heath family pioneered this farm at a spot about five minutes walk down canyon from my house. When the internal combustion engine started to replace livestock for locomotion, the farmers were able to build their houses and outbuildings uphill and farther from spring water sources. My family are the third owners of this farm, and the agricultural roots are gradually being eclipsed for a number of reasons. How wonderful for us to not see another house from ours!

Violet Oil Drum
7.5" x 10.5"
Soft Pastel
Casey Klahn

I'm heartened that Elijah has seen the abstract elements that are key to these building paintings. Shapes, colors and position are the content, more than the buildings themselves. Don't get me wrong. I'm as much a sucker for the deep meaning of the American barn as the next guy. My father built a barn once upon a time. And, the building in my iconic painting is my own barn.

Thumbnail of Barn
Pastel
Casey Klahn

The architect who designed the Gambrel barn was a flat out genius. The way the barn structure occupies the open land in rural America is stunning in scope and even vision. My barn, which is no longer used for any working good, occupies a side hill and commands a territorial view. I have some pride in owning it, but the Great Horned Owl that frequents it seems to have a bigger claim by virtue of time spent there.

Behind the Garage
Graphite on Sketch Paper
7" x 8.5"
Casey Klahn

Wolf Kahn uses the barn image a great deal in his work. He has taken it down to the pictorial elements with content that describes the position of the building on a slope or prominence, and elements like through-looking doors and windows, and severe value gradients.

The Heins' Farm
7.5" 15"
Casey Klahn
Private Collection

The story of my Red Barn with Ramp image I have told many times. I received a box of twelve "Wolf Kahn" Terrage pastels made by Diane Townsend, and in a first moment of inspiration I made a very small thumbnail sketch with the colors. It was the barn image just as it is seen on the book cover, except that sketch was about 1 inch square. I was in the moment, entranced by pure color and by the tactile qualities of the big, thick pastel sticks. Abstract shapes were the tools, and color was the content.

Elijah has written a good back story to the barn and building themes. The literary link to The Wizard of Oz is apt. The elemental truth of my surroundings is hard to contradict. Wind, sun, sky and agriculture. Can an artist overcome his environment long enough to forge content that aspires to higher art? I suggest not thinking too hard, but letting the hand and eye draw intuitively. Maybe that's the only way.

Virtual Event - Bump!

The need for a virtual hanging struck me. Enjoy. All works soft pastel, originals by Casey Klahn.

For those who have seen this post back in July, bear with me as I use this display again for reference.

Blue Series

Blue Wandering
14" x 10"
Original Pastel
Casey Klahn

Rough Drafts

My soon to be (self) published book is in it's rough draft. The subject, so far, is about intuitive process and color choices. I am spending so much time with the writing and formatting of the book, and with preparation for my first art fair of the summer, that I am going to put a "hold" on the historic Abstract Expressionist posting.

Don't worry, I'll still be reading and studying up on the famous artists. Have you found that the busier you get, the more important it becomes to still read?

The first "rough' text:

Red Veiled Forest
14" x 19", Pastel
Casey Klahn

Red curtained forests are a staple of my images created in the early part of the decade beginning in 2000. Don't assign too much meaning to the red in them; to me it's just an attractive color! The challenge comes in trying to make a believable landscape-one that reads as a landscape without too much thought on the part of the viewer-without pushing the red subject over the top. Will it hold up? Will it be a balanced composition?

Repetition is an old and venerable artist's tool. How much can this idea yield? Anything good enough for a successful painting must also have more than one story to tell. For me, the red theme has also provided a unifying element to the works made in these few years. And the lessons learned about controlling intense pigments have been invaluable.

Red Veiled Forest is an image that no matter how I tried, I just could not repeat. Some of the techniques used are understandable in formal terms. A partial sky, a few areas of paper peeking through to provide a depth to an otherwise (intentionally) flat composition. Alternating bands of temperature "compliments". These things are repeatable.

But it turned out that I couldn't even get close to the structure or composition again with any amount of success. Nothing else looked right. So balanced, so deep and full of red, so mysterious. I decided that it should remain in my own collection, thinking that some day I would understand the key to the mystery of how to make a painting like this.

American Art Collector

Hill with Red Sky
12.5" x 9.5"
Original Pastel
Casey Klahn

Today, I received word that my artwork, Hill with Red Sky will be published in the next American Art Collector, Alcove Books. The book is sent to museums, galleries and other venues, but other limited distribution is provided through Baker & Taylor. I have a number of copies myself, and could be talked into selling you one, but numbers are very few, sorry.

I have enjoyed having my artwork published in the West Coast edition for the past three years running, and vouch for the very high quality of this eclectic showcase of art of various media. The next issue will be a nation wide version, rather than regional.



http://www.alcovebooks.net/index.html
http://www.btol.com/

Note: I am reviewing the options available to me for self-publishing a book featuring my
Colorist American Landscapes. My goal is to make books available to my patrons only, and to keep the distribution small. Because I don't produce prints of my work, I am exploring the book medium as an alternative way of providing access to my art for more patrons. Any ideas or experiences with self publishing out there?

Edmonds Arts Festival

Pink Forest
7.3" x 5.3"
Original Pastel
Casey Klahn

This work, Pink Forest, has been juried in to the Edmonds, Washington Arts Festival Gallery. The festival, where I will also have an outdoor booth, is in it's Fiftieth year. The scenic city of Edmonds anchors one of the numerous ferry lines in the Puget Sound region.


If you would like to get an early look at the Gallery installation, the Preview Party provides the opportunity:

EDMONDS ARTS FESTIVAL PREVIEW PARTY
We are inviting patrons to preview and purchase art in the Juried Gallery by attending the Edmonds Arts Festival Preview Party on Thursday June 14th. Over 600 loyal patrons of the arts attend this event, which includes dinner, drinks, and entertainment. For more information contact Edmonds Arts Festival Juried Gallery email: festivalgallery@comcast.net.

See this blog for my outdoor booth number when the information becomes available.

Pastel Month Results - The Bunkhouse

The Bunkhouse
6.5" x 8"
Original Pastel
Casey Klahn
$375

This is the first Colorist American Landscape I have done in some time. It's nice to be doing these very free, yet challenging works. I have been wanting to get back to barns and outbuildings, too. I also wanted to get some cropped barn compositions that worked.

Another good feeling is finding a method for working on Townsend Pastel paper. You can really abuse this stuff, and the more the merrier. I did a wash of deep red, then mixed as many contrasts and compliments as it would hold without "filling up", as we say.

Lots of goals coming together!