New Website

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Casey Klahn

New Website

There ought to be artwork on each page, available works and a biographic entry: I know.  All in due time.

My flat File Sale of unframed works has begun!  Here is the first offering.

The idea is that you e-mail me if interested.  How to purchase my artwork. Also, patrons do message me on Facebook for purchase inquiries.  More to come!

Dusk in Open Country

Bald Ridge at Dusk

@12" x 9"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Vlog Post - Studio Session Video

See this video at You Tube and select the HD feature.

Landscape With Nothing In It

Field Colors

6" x 7"

Pastel

Casey Klahn


This pastel is sold, but I am planning an online flat file sale for the near future.  Be sure to subscribe here or find me on Facebook to participate.  There will be dozens of unframed, and a few framed works, for you to look at.

Facebook.

Master Artists Study Notes - Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse
1869-1954

Tags at The Colorist for Matisse.
Matisse: Life and Painting.
Matisse at Wikipedia.
Museum Matisse in Nice, France.
Woman with a Hat.
The Conversation, 1938.
Matisse's Pajamas.
henrimatisse.org

Experimental Works

Italian Building Sketch

Casey Klahn

I did a number of these buildings based on some photos and some imagination.

This one is really as much about new pastel sticks as anything else.

Fence Remnant, Springtime

Casey Klahn

I was looking at this scene next to my barn last week, and imagining doing another pastel.  Seeing this older work, I think it's much better than what I was visualizing last week.  Weird.

These are a couple of experimental works I did last year that haven't been published at The Colorist before.  They are about 6 or 8 inches by, if I remember right.

Master Artists Links

School is back in session, and many university students find their way to The Colorist.  Over the next few days I will highlight the links and pages here with content regarding master artists.

Leonardo da Vinci, 
1452-1519

Christ Figure 

@1495

Tags at The Colorist

Spotlight on Leonardo

Universal Leonardo

The Drawings
Leonardo da Vinci's Life
Wikipedia (recommended)

"Five centuries have passed, yet we still view Leonardo with awe."  Liana Bortolon.



The Colorist.

Enduring Brilliance at the PSA

Forest Pond

8" x 12"

 Pastel 

Casey Klahn

 Enduring Brilliance!

September 4 - September 28, 2012

Pastel Society of America at 40

Pastels Only Juried Exhibition

National Arts Club 

New York, New York

National Arts Club

Pastel Society of America

If Your Paintings Were Dances, What Would They Be Like?

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Studio Update.

How could there be anything more important than my kids will be back in school Wednesday?  My son will be in the Fifth grade, and my daughter fourth. From a studio perspective, though, that means I will be back at full crank with daily pastelling, and also oil painting.

The barn studio for oil painting suffered some momentum loss when we went on vacation to the coast, but I am confident that things will get back to full speed there, soon.  My next effort will be a mid-size painting, and I feel that I can play much better with that extra space on the canvas.  Reports to follow.

Although summer has kept me less active in the studio, I have made efforts to create almost daily and have moved the art forward.  I think you'll be surprised to see some of the works when I get them photographed.  

One interesting development has been the practice of working on pieces over longer periods of time.  I guess some artists describe that as rigor.  I feel that there are more things to be said, as well as some technical gems to be discovered, when one works the surface with more effort.  In some ways it hones the observational skills.

See you soon.

Ode To Blue

Low Tide, 2010.

Acrylic, collage, mixed media on paper

12.5cm x

Eric Adama

Erica Adama at CERULEAN has curated an exhibit of images from bloggers titled "Ode to Blue."  I am happy to be included, and especially because I enjoy the blue hue so much.

See Part 1 here.

Look for more posts from Eric Adama to follow.

What better way to celebrate the exhibit than to take in a little blues music at the after party?  Check it out:

Your Own Color Sense

Matisse's Palette

“Trust your feelings entirely about color, and then, 
even if you arrive at no infallible color theory, you will at least have the credit of having your own color sense.” John F. Carlson.

Colorist Art at Pinterest.

Windbreak at Daily Paintworks

Windbreak

6" x 12" 

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Click on image to see full crop

Available, unframed.  Contact me via e-mail, or at Daily Paintworks.

$400

Colorist Coloring

Previous Post: Colorist Methods - My Thoughts On The Subject Of Color.

This is the second post of an undetermined number of posts about the subject of color use.

There is some danger in this subject for both of us. For me, I risk either writing inanity, banality or nonsense. For you, probably the worst risk is that you will become convinced that these theories I write will impart some method. There will be no methodology about color use here. Just ideas, tips, and histories. That is about as good as it can get, because we enter this aware of the personal nature of one's color use, called color sense, and it is known by many who study color that people see and respond to color in a manner different each from the other. If there is any commiseration on color feelings, then these ideas are already widely known.

Some Thoughts:

• Starting with a color idea involves, for me, either choosing one bright, pure color, or designing a color triad in my mind at the very first part of the process.
• Reacting to the previous color involves intuitive choice, and/or some reference to known color properties, such as what compliments or what harmonizes the colors already laid down.
• Keep looking at the work and making adjustments as you progress.
• Respond to problems to create the harmony that you seek.

Fauvism is the first school or movement we think of when we are faced with funny color in artwork. The Fauvists were a crazy bunch of Frenchmen, mostly, who painted in the Modern era. Among their ranks were Vlamink, Rouault, Derain, and the King of the Fauves, Henri Matisse. The ideas they shared involved a reaction to earlier movements and the late  Impressionist school of thought. They wanted bright, pure colors versus enhanced local color and an explanation of light. Their work was also considered painterly in the use of bold brushstrokes.

There will be no methodology about color use here.

 

I don't seek color that is a response to local color, meaning that that I don't choose a color that is purposefully not the actual (local) color. I just choose the color I want, and usually for personal reasons. It may often be the local color, and that is perfectly okay with me, especially because I am now set to react to the color I just used. I am a terrible reactionary in the artistic sense!

This approach, I think, is better than aiming for the "wrong" color or the opposite of the local color, because these methods can be formulaic.  One is required to prejudice his choice when he will not choose the local color.

Watch here for more on color choices in future posts.

Unsettled Weather

Some Random Images From My Computer Files

Casey Klahn

Wassily Kandinsky

Autumn in Murnau, 1908

o/p

 32.3 x 40.9 cm

Wassily Kandinsky

"THE ARTIST’S LIFE IS NOT ONE OF PLEASURE. HE MUST NOT LIVE IRRESPONSIBLY; HE HAS DIFFICULT WORK TO PERFORM, ONE WHICH OFTEN PROVES A CROWN OF THORNS. HE MUST REALIZE THAT HIS ACTS, FEELINGS, AND THOUGHTS ARE THE UNDEFINABLE BUT FUNDAMENTAL MATERIAL FROM WHICH HIS WORK IS CREATED; HE IS FREE IN ART, BUT NOT IN LIFE."  Kandinsky.

I think Kandinsky was so busy making the new painting that he rarely made the best.   But, his goal was not to please me, that's for sure.  Kandinsky, in his book Concerning the Spiritual in Art, 1911, theorized a periodic pyramid of the new in art. The main idea is that the vanguard of art, or the top of the pyramid, will be occupied in any given era by a precious few works that are ahead of their time.  A very lonesome place is Kandinsky's summit, as by definition, no one else will appreciate or understand your work.

I find a few of his works do please me, and it is a good thing to study his take on Modernism and Abstraction.  He was certainly a trend-setter and worthy of his star in art history.

Kandinsky at Wikipedia.

Wassily Kandinsky, 1866 - 1944 - friendsofart.net.
Tumblr blog dedicated to the man. Very nice resource.
Online University - extensive article and links.
Project Gutenberg - Concerning The Spiritual In Art. (I read mine via Kindle, which I do enjoy better than the PC screen.)

Kandinsky.  Always Thinking.

Workshop Review - Bainbridge Island

 Ed Center at Bloedel Reserve

Pierre Ouimet and Karen Sprague were two of thirteen students at the See Differently workshop.

Thirteen artists endeavored to provide something new to the world at my See Differently workshop, by making pictures authentically their own.  Bainbridge Island's Bloedel Reserve provided us with great subject matter (imagine me in the tall trees).

The Winslow Art Center hosted this event, and we anticipate more in the near future.  I want to follow-up with a workshop on blogging, and another on colorist methods.  Those will be new adventures!

This Exhibition is Still Up Through This Month

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It ends August 29th.
Clearstory Gallery, Spokane.

There's Another?

Did you know I have another blog?  Pastel Workshop.

Exhibiting in NYC

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Enduring Brilliance!

September 4 - September 28, 2012

Pastel Society of America at 40

Pastels Only Juried Exhibition

My original pastel, Forest Pond, will be on display at the exhibit.

PSA Link.

The Cascades

Cascades

6" x 8"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

DPW/Daily Paintworks Auction/ Bid Now

Tahiti Was Good For Gauguin

The Moment of Truth (I), 1892

o/c, 54.5 cm x 31 cm

Paul Gauguin

Cincinnati Art Museum

I wish I was born in the nineteenth century.  Maybe I'd have taken a long Tahitian retreat, like Gauguin, or Matisse. Actor Marlon Brando figured the same.

a thing of the mind

"Pittura est cousa mentale"

Painting is a thing of the mind.

Leonardo da Vinci

after da Vinci

@14x12"

Conte & White Chalk

Casey Klahn

Pastel Field at DPW

 Pastel Field 

11.25" x 16" 

Pastel & Charcoal

Casey Klahn
$1275

Daily Paintworks/DPW

Hopper Houses Today

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Cape Cod Afternoon,1936 
Oil on canvas, 34 x 50 inches
Edward Hopper 
Museum of Art, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Image form ibiblio.



Hopper Houses Today

h/t Gerard Vanderleun

WFMIT?

What Fresh Mess Is This?

Casey Klahn

Just kidding.  I'm tentatively happy with my first oil start.  More tubes are on order from Seattle, so I can actually color this baby in.

So many questions I have.  Will I leave the impasto textures, or will they just get in the way of the varnish? Will I trench-in a new power line, or fish around for the old one?

Drywall plans are on the drawing board.  One step at a time.

Seattle Area Workshop - Bloedel Reserve is the Most Beautiful Venue on the Planet!

Can you tell I'm excited?

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Winslow Art Center.

The Barn Studio Project

The idea to use the barn for a studio has been going around in my head for some time.  I was warned about the downsides, and there are many.  But, the space is big, and well ventilated for when I want to try my hand at large oils.  We'll see how things turn out as I use this for a temporary oil painting studio, at least while the weather is good!

Green Grows the Ground

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Green Ground

3.5" x 4.5"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

This new work is being auctioned at the Daily Paintworks!

Violet Horizon at Daily Paintworks

Violet Horizon

3.5" x 5.25"

Pastel

Casey Klahn


Bid

Summer Painting Outdoors

This is the informal iPh photo

Forest Interior 3

@6x10.8" 

Pastel

Casey Klahn

en plein air

Pastel-Box Famous

Edgar Degas

Georgia O'Keeffe

Degas' box picture from La Maison du Pastel website.
Georgia O’Keeffe’s pastels from Pilgrimage (Annie Leibovitz, 2011).

Palettes as History

Vincent van Gogh

Paul Gauguin

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/lucydavies/100007607/why-preserve-van-goghs-palette/

Modigliani - Love, Nonsense & Life

Modigliani, not looking well, 1919.

Amedeo Modigliani (July 12, 1884 – January 24, 1920) has been the subject of a couple of feature movies.  Mostly, they cover his love life, which lacked no drama.  I take that back - the more recent flick is also very much about the artistic process.  Critics and the public hate it, but I loved it.  The metaphor of his grand premier compared to a bloody mugging in the snow is rich, and I liked the way he consulted his boyhood self from time to time.  


Watching the 1958 film, Les Amants de Montparnasse, in French, is a nonsensical treat for me, since I don't understand the language.  


Happy Birthday, Modi.  


Here is a You Tube of his paintings streamed to some music with an Italian title about love's consequences.  I like to watch these with the digital projector on the big screen.  Maybe some of his great style and visual grace will rub off on me.

Ahem. I Painted in This Guy's Studio, Once. Just Sayin...

My friend, oil painter and pastelist Ken Elliott, is not shy about putting down color.  Watch this fine artist create a colorist landscape, in its entirety, on video.  

For The Color blog.

Yellows Across the Lake

oil on canvas, 40 x 40 inches

Ken Elliott

Hopper, with Mood Music

The work of the American artist Edward Hopper is so moody and evocative, that more than a few amateur videographers have tried to distill his images with a track.  Which one of the following works best for you?

Yes, a sublime waste of time.  But, you get to soak up some great Hopper while doing it.

Edward Hopper to Claude Debussy

or Benny Goodman

(and Edward Hirsch)

try Eric Satie

and finally, Mr. Tom Waits at Closing Time.

Video attributions embedded in videos.

Edward Hopper (1882-1967).

Hopper was so tied into his subjects that when he outlived them, his output died, too.  Don't be sad about that - stand up and cheer for what he gave us when he did.

Artchive/Hopper  

News

High Branches

 High Branches

@10" x 8"

Pastel & Charcoal

Casey Klahn

I added that edge in Photoshop. Is that fair? I feel that presentation is a good thing, especially with works on paper.  In real life, though, this work would be framed with a mat.

In The Summertime

 High Branches

@8" x 10"

Pastel & Charcoal

Casey Klahn

Excuse me for having nice weather, while I know many of you are suffering under extreme heat.  I count my blessings. 


I made an extra effort to work on my plein air at the lake this year.  


I'll try to photograph the handful of pastels I completed over the holiday, and post them here, soon.  Happy vacations, everyone.


Bob Dylan has something to say about summertime, too.

Go To Market

You Must Find Your Market.

Sometimes you have to push yourself to market in a cart, so strong is the inertia defending the marketplace from you. I find this especially true in the summer, when family, chores, and focus on art-making occupy my time.


Here are some great links for art marketing to get you revved-up.


What Are You Really Selling?, Cindy Haase.
Daily Paintworks, Carol Marine.
Art Biz Blog, Alyson Stanfield.
Marketing Mondays, Joanne Mattera.
The Painter's Keys, Robert Genn.

Photo attribution lost, sorry.

Palettes

Arthur Buxton

"Colour Trend Visualisation, 

each chart represents an individual painting with the five most prominent colours shown proportionally."

Degas, Matisse, Gauguin.

The limit of this is that all color is relative, but the idea is a knockout.  Love it!