Sunday, January 22, 2012

creative habits and Wolf Kahn show

8x5 pastel on art suede

To be creative,....may mean nothing more than the refusal to be habit-ridden.”    WK

Isn't that the truth? There is a line between constant experimentation  (and no solid work) and constantly producing the same thing in the same way(all paintings produced with the same method, of the same subject matter. ) We all have our side of that line and have to police ourselves to be certain not to get stuck-on either side. Exploration and discovery are the root of creativity.
On that note, I keep on working on how it is best to create that night glow. How can I do it best? That blue green twilight glow. Above is one of my latest versions.
Yesterday, for the second time, I visited the beautiful show of Wolf Kahn's work at the Addison Ripley Gallery in Georgetown, DC. It includes 32 pieces, most of which are oils with about 6 pastels.  Here are a few photos of the works on display.
Wolf Kahn, large oil

Wolf Kahn, large oil

Wolf Kahn, small pastel

Wolf Kahn, large oil
One thing I did notice is that he usually paints on a brightly colored ground and that it peeks through in most places. In a way it feels like a silkscreen. Each layer of color as a screen is making another layer in space.
It feels a little weird placing the work of the master on the same page as mine...but I wanted to share with my many blogger friends who could not make it to the show.

16 comments:

Liz Steinglass said...

Loriann,

I literally made a sound when I saw it. Wow. Look at those colors at the edges and the shapes of the branches. Now I can't stop looking at the green/blue in the middle. To me the sky almost seems to be expressing the aliveness of the tree.

Liz

indigomar said...

I like the quote, I agree with your thoughts. That blue green twilight glow, I know it.
How lucky for you to see the WK show two times. Luscious and scrumptious...his color and brushwork, yum.
Thanks for sharing the images, I'm loving them!

Stinson Fine Art / John W. Stinson said...

Your work compliments his. It looks natural together.

loriann signori said...

Hi Liz! Thank you for your kind words!That twilight time is my favorite, yet most elusive time to paint. Thanks!

Hi Indigomar!
WK's work will always maze me too!

Thanks so much John!

Casey Klahn said...

That twilight green reflects my envy...you got to see his show twice! One of these times, when you aren't thinking about it, your perfected twilight sky will appear. IMO, it already has done so many times in works I've seen here. Bravo!

His pastel stands out for me...go figure.

loriann signori said...

Hi Casey,
His pastel stood out for me too. That's why I tried to photograph it through the glare. The edges in his pastel are really beautiful!

Donna T said...

That is a beautiful glow! Thanks for sharing the show, Loriann. It must be awesome to be so close to those paintings!

loriann signori said...

thanks Donna! I am glad you liked the online show.

Sara Mathewson said...

i agree this is so beautiful and the glow at the edges, just wonderful. Truthfully I think you can hold your own with the master!

loriann signori said...

You are so kind Sara!

Anonymous said...

Hi Loriann,
Thank you for posting from the Wk show. Last Year I went to his exhibition in NYC. The energy and vitality of
WK is amazing. He certainly does not hold anything back.
Your latest ptg is very bold in color and gesture-quite dynamic.
NJ ART 73

loriann signori said...

Thanks NJ!
Yes you are so right about WK,thankfully, he holds nothing back!

Celeste Bergin said...

Love that red and aqua green--whoa that is stunning! & Thanks for posting the Wolf Kahn paintings...they are breathtakingly beautiful!

loriann signori said...

Hi Celeste thank you about the pastel. And yes you are so right WK's paintings are breathtakingly beautiful! Paint on!

Sara Mathewson said...

I hope to someday see a WK show. It must be wonderful.

But serious Loriann, you are not small potatoes! Your paintings are wonderful and atmospheric. Seeing different scenes with similar compositions, all different in many ways. I am amazed at what you can do and have been following you for awhile now, I came over from Casey's blog. Anyway, it is so interesting to hear about your process. Very cool.

loriann signori said...

Hi Sara, Thank you for your encouragement! I am glad you found your way over to my site. i will have to thank Casey.