Dakota Art Center - April, 2015

Ocean Shores

Ocean Colors

13" x 12"

Pastel 

Casey Klahn

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.  

Northwest Spring-Pastel at Auction

NW Spring

3.75" x 5.25"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Unframed.  Bids start at $80.  Daily Paintworks.

The High Cascades

Violet Mountain

3.5" x 3.75"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

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Forest Pond

Forest Pond

Bloedel Reserve, Washington

@6.5" x 10"

Pastel

Casey Klahn

Washington State - The Place To Be

In the next few weeks, make sure to watch my sidebar, if you don't already subscribe to Astrid Volquardsen's and Loriann Signori's blogs. They have traveled from afar to enjoy the plein air painting in Washington, and will be taking Richard McKinley's workshop and posting wonderful new things.

Astrid Volquardsen

Loriann Signori

Fences 2

Fences 2
small, 5" x 5.5"
Pastel
Casey Klahn
pas camera

A studio revision of an on sight painting.

Skagit Barn

Skagit Barn Study
@6" x 8"
Pastel & Charcoal on Sketch Paper
Casey Klahn


Skagit Barn Sketch
@6" x 8"
Charcoal
Casey Klahn

Who wouldn't want to sketch and paint an image of the Skagit Valley, Washington? This photo is from my collection, and I have been thinking about painting it for a long time. I only had a short hour in the studio this morning, so here is the sketch, a color study on sketch paper and the old photo for reference.

Wonderful Washington Workshop

Loriann Signori's Painting-a-Day

I can tell that the Richard McKinley workshop just concluded in Mt. Vernon, WA was a success by the results that show in Loriann Signori's work. Her recent works are still very much Loriann's signature style, but they are her work at its best - great clarity, superb color and authentic. Her heart is in it, and she's creating lovely pastels that you should take a look at. These are my favorites: The Field 1 & 2.

If you've ever taken an art workshop of any type, let alone one of the length and intensity of McKinley's La Conner one, you know how it can turn you inside-out with the issues of self-direction versus a strong and influential teacher's style. You are there to adopt and apply the teacher's ideas, and yet you have your own statement to continue. I have lost sleep over these things!

My interview of Signori is here: Plein Air On Purpose.

She suggests that Washington State is an inspirational locale. I agree, of course! Skagit County, where McKinley's workshop takes place, is the art rich home of the Northwest School (Tobey, Callahan, et al.) and is noted for the strange diffuse light that permeates the marine air. Some day you really ought to make the trip to see for yourself.

Richard McKinley
La Conner Art Workshops
Loriann Signori's Painting-a-Day
Museum of Northwest Art (MoNA)

Red River Sketch

Red River Sketch
@ 7" x 4"
Pastel
Casey Klahn

In organizing photos the past few days, I came across this sketch, and realized it hadn't been posted before. This one started a whole series, in some ways. The elements that went into it were a trip to see the Hoquiam River, early pinks in the trees (spring or late winter deciduous trees lining the river bank), an Indian Red pastel stick, and an idealized conception of American rivers.

The river series is a fun group of strongly colored riverscapes seen here.

High Tide at the Jetty

The Jetty in Ocean Shores, Washington.
My Set-Up is the Guerrilla ThumBox and an Ampersand Panel.

The painting was begun at high tide, but as you can see the tide was going out by the time I took this photo. Interesting how the camera compresses reality - my painting is accurate for relief, showing more ocean above the jetty, but the photo makes the ocean appear flattened.

I had to drive to my home town area this past weekend for a funeral. The art kit went with me, since I have had a desire to do some images from there for some time. Specifically, I want to do a series on the Hoquiam river.

This painting of the wild Pacific Ocean hitting the rock jetty in Ocean Shores, WA has some things I like. The technique of pastel strokes is pleasing. The colors are accurate, it seems. But, an interesting thing happened with this rare plein air session. I had my new large box of pastels, which is organized by hue first, and value second. My smaller boxes are purely organized by value. So, wouldn't you know it? The painting I rendered in this method suffered a little for having incorrect values! I'll keep this in mind for my next efforts, and I'll see if I wish to correct this one in the studio. Live and learn.

As things turned out, the drive was too hard for me this close after my surgery. I know - I should be well by now, but such is the case. I did get some good family and college buddy visits in, but after one morning session at the beach, I was wiped out. I tried a second session at the mouth of the Copalis River, but circumstances and wind got the better of me.

Not to despair, though. I did take my camera with me. More importantly, I had my eyes, too. Paintings will follow.

Bald Ridge Road Trees

Bald Ridge Road Trees
Graphite in Sketchpad
@9" x 9"
Casey Klahn

Enjoying some plein air sketching.

Live Blogging McKinley Workshop

Very great thanks to Miki Willa, who is live blogging the Richard McKinley workshop in Oregon. McKinley is a popular pastel master who has a feature blog at The Pastel Journal Blog, called Pastel Pointers. You'll notice that his teaching style is compelling, and our own Miki will probably be getting seven years of experience in one week from this.

It appears that Miki is embarking on a seven week plein air trip. Woo Hooo! Dream vacation, anyone? It reminds me of Eden Compton, who is on permanent plein air vacation as a permanent sailboat resident.

Thoughts on a Series

Spring Trees
4" x 4.5"
Pastel
Casey Klahn

Somewhere I read, recently, about tips for doing a series of paintings. Let's explore the practice of creating a group of works.

The economics of doing art in a series is perhaps the obvious reason that comes to mind. But, there is much more to the art series than that. As a matter of fact, without the underlying artistic rationale for painting a series, the results can often fall flat.

Do a series of similar works to get down on paper (or canvas) the fuller extent of your ideas. Are your pictures more than the representation of some objects? Do they have anything to say to the viewer of deeper meaning? Explore the nuances of a color composition, or of a particular place in all of it's complex facets.

Hang a series of ten paintings that share a coherent and well developed idea. You will be going past the technique and the handling of pastels; beyond the aesthetics of pleasant images. You will be expressing the depth of your artistic development, and revealing more clearly what your ideas are.

I would rather see your room of ten signature works hanging than a solitary Pollock at the MoMA, any day!

With these things in mind, what are some methods for creating a series of works?

1. Try to see a One Man Show at a local gallery or an artist focused Exhibition at the Museum. Notice what creates the continuity in this hanging. Likely the framing will be the same, and maybe even the sizes and aspects of the paintings will be uniform.
2. Either decide what you are trying to say with your artistic growth, or look very intently at what has been coming off of your easel. Is it trending in a certain direction? Is it new in some way for you?
   
3. I try to get my subjects or objects the same. Now, I am doing a series of deciduous trees which are drawn in the Eastern Washington setting. This is a departure from my typical conifers, and the change or growth is an important element of a successful series. Nicole Caulfield is doing still lifes in boxes, in the style of the Tromp L'oeil. Harry Bell did a series on water taxis in Venice (very unique). Joan DaGradi is doing post-Hurricane Katrina condemned houses in New Orleans.
4. One method to provide continuity is to not only follow an idea, but to repeat, limit or at least narrow your palette. The effect on your exhibition will be noticeable.
5. Especially for the pastelist, make a decision about what paper you will be doing your series on. Will the images be more coherent on the same paper brand and color? Maybe yes and maybe no - you'll need to decide, and possibly stock up on one particular paper.
   

Ready to take that next step in your artistic development? Hang a grouping of ten coherent pastel works, and remember to get someone to take your picture there!

Rainy Day Plein Air

Back Property Trees
6 5/8ths" x 9 6/8ths"
Magnani
Casey Klahn

Back Property Trees - Pastel
6 5/8ths" x 9 6/8ths"
Magnani
Casey Klahn
Six Unisons Only

Bald Ridge, Pencil & Pastel
5" x 8"
Sketch Paper
Casey Klahn

A rare outdoor trip
usually on foot, but this time in the Chevy.
As I unpacked, a downpour.
I clipped the umbrella to the hatchback
and sketched from the tailgate.

Jim Gola

Jim Gola is a neighbor (albeit distant) in the fine state of Washington. I had to look up Woodland, because I was fuzzy on its location. Now I see it's near the hopping town of Ridgefield. I once got run out of Ridgefield for being underage...but that's a long and off-topic story.

Back to Gola. Although he prefers his oils, I want to highlight his pastel paintings. He is adroit at using the sticks, and I hope you'll take a look at his website.