A Thank You for 2014

Teaching an impromptu lesson at a student's easel, in Goshen, New Jersey (on Cape May). This barn is the studio of Stan Sperlak at his Crow Creek Farm art school.

2014.

Thanks to all of my hosts, venue organizers, and especially all of the artists I met this year at workshops and demo events in Everett, WA, New Braunfels, TX, Ann Arbor, MI, Ponte Verde Beach, FL, Spokane, WA, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, Kemijärvi, Finland, Florham Park, NJ and Goshen/Cape May Courthouse, NJ.

In the next two years I look forward to scheduled and proposed workshops in France, Germany, Italy, Dakota Pastels in Washington; also the DC area in Virginia, New York City, Boston, Denver, southern California, South Carolina, Maine and I may be forgetting some.

First Coast Pastel Society - Florida Workshop

Demo in Florida. casey Klahn.

Photo by: Debbie Cusick

My See Differently workshop was held in the Jacksonville, Florida area this past weekend. It featured a Friday night demo at the Hilton Hotel, and a 3 day workshop with both indoor and outdoor sessions.

Thank you to Debbie Cusick for her blog posts, and to the First Coast Pastel Society of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, for their wonderful reception of me. I had a truly enjoyable workshop. Thanks to FCPS officers Lyn Asselta and Rick Petersen.

Here are the posts from the FCPS blog:

Casey Klahn Kickoff.

Casey Klahn Workshop.

Quote: He certainly had (the) participants' attention, and what he had to say was often so different from things folks had heard before that they really needed to pay attention to make sure they'd heard it right!

Casey Klahn Conclusion.

Ann Arbor - Brushed and Polished

Casey Klahn in Ann Arbor, MI.

Don't forget to stand back and look at your work from a larger perspective.

The Ann Arbor workshop, which I taught April 7-9, was a 3-day version of the normally 2-day See Differently workshop, with the additional day spent exploring color.  Eighteen artists plus two hosts & I all had a great time struggling through new concepts, and rediscovered old concepts, buffed-up and shined-up to relate to our contemporary day. 

I took the same opportunity to make sure my teaching was more informative and better illustrated than ever before. I use a lot of visual description, and the verbal lectures and explanations are offered with brevity. I conducted three demos.

There were breakthroughs by artists, and it was rewarding for everyone to explore their own ideas and vision with their artwork. I enjoy teaching art workshops and my reward is seeing new things being created by so many artists.

Some upcoming workshops news.

Gig Harbor Wrap

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Casey Klahn workshop in Gig Harbor, WA, last weekend. See Differently. Authenticity & Your Art. Hosted by the Northwest Pastel Society, in the studio of Donna Trent. Photos: Denise Champion.

Casey Klahn on art process, The Artist's Ideas, and your personal authority as an artist. 

Critique group.  We unpack the works produced during the 3 days we spent in studio and also in the open air.

Exuberant In Boston!

Expressive art and exuberance may go together.  Here I am trying to light a fire under my attentive audience.

The reception given me by the artists, attendees, and the North River Arts Society was a memorable one.  You have my thanks.

See Differently workshop, Marshfield Hills, MA.

Ocean Shores 1 Day

There were 9 artists in attendance.  I taught technique, and had an interesting closing question from Roy.  He wanted me to state 5 key tips for the beginner pastellist.  Here is what I said:

1. Peel the paper off most of your sticks, and put them all in a tray.  In other words, get them out of the foam box and into a studio palette system.

2. Find a paper you like and stay with it a while. 

3. Use artist's grade tools.

4. Find out what your ideas are and develop those in your work.  The truth is available for an artist of any skill level to tell.

5. Line up several of your artworks and write down 25 observations about them.  This will help you understand what it is you have been doing, what your ideas are, and what makes your work unique.

I couldn't help going to process solutions because I like to focus on what makes fine art fine.  

But, I want to have a technique-focused answer that's less esoteric.  With more thought, I might replace 4 and 5 with the following:

4. Learn how to handle your values and to blend colors.  We spent a good deal of out time on this in the 1 day workshop.

5. Work from good drawings that you have done.  

Next Stop: Portland!

Durango was a great time!

Next workshop:

Portland, Oregon.  June 15, 16.

Spring Inspiration

This is a bit of an April Fool's joke, as the miniature flower pastel is from the imagination.  But, here is my travel and plein air box ready to go!  Maybe today I will get out the door and paint!

Special note: if I can get my studio palette spruced up, I will post a photo.  I really need to make another one of those studio boxes, as I have the space and too many sticks.

Black Earth with Yellow, @ 4" x 4," Pastel, Casey Klahn.

Making Pastels Resource

Making Professional Pastels.  Resource at Daniel Smith, by Paul de Marrias.

I made these.

Pigment Pen


The Daniel Smith stores are here in Washington state.  I especially enjoy going into the Seattle store and picking out big, white bags of pigment - French Ultramarine is my favorite.


Here are some stores around the US that supply pigments and other materials:


Daniel Smith, founded in Seattle.
Utrecht Art Supplies, founded in NYC.
Rochester Art Supply, Rochester, NY.
Artisan, Santa Fe.  Find Gamblin pigments there.

I guess I borrowed some pigments from a pastel stick in this instance, but pictured is a bag of Daniel Smith Whiting.  The jar holds blue easel tailings.

Pastel Medium Love

Open Stock Roche Pastels

Pinterest/ Pastels.
Pastel Studio, Canada.

Denver Workshop Photo Report

Artists Karen Scharer and Ken Elliott at our dinner party.  Not pictured: Scott Leckrone.

The Colorist.

Framing Little Works

DIY

Pastels, Yellow Ideas, The iPhone Camera, Six Unisons Only & PA Sketches.

New Colors - Hand Made Pastels

Canola Crop - Making Me Think of Yellows

Scenery On The Butte

Six Unisons Only - Well, Maybe I Added a Gray or Two

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Flowers On The Butte

Sketches

Peter's Paris and Montmartre

Grave of Degas.

If you don't read Peter's Paris, you are missing some great reporting on the Paris of our artist heroes.  Enjoy.


Montmartre in the evening.


Caillebotte-Andre-Jacquemart-Museum.


Photo from Photobucket, scdecaro.

Studio Work - Over The Shoulder

Casey Klahn
Yes, It's Cold Outside
Photo: Lorie Klahn

Environment of the Artist

Photobucket

In this case, the environment I'm talking about is the one that just my eyes and mind see. My content. My influences from nature. Mine are completely unique - which isn't saying much. Everyone should have different environmental influences.

There are some superlative things about my peculiar environment here in Washington State. I'll be posting about that in the next installment of the tree school.