Three Short Films about Peace by Errol Morris

Three Short Films about Peace by Errol Morris
Three parts, 49:34 minutes

"They deposed a dictator, helped defeat Communism and started a movement to end famine. In this NY Times Op-Docs series, the Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee, the former Polish president Lech Walesa and the rocker Bob Geldof talk about their campaigns for peace. Read the Director’s Statement on the page for more information.


It is very difficult to be a successful artist when there is no peace. Being an artist and purchasing artworks is a luxury and a side-effect of living in a peaceful environment. Yes, artists work in war zones, but survival is the priority, not acquisitions. We are dependent on so many for peace and we stand on the shoulders of millions that came before us.

This is a straight-forward and thoughtful film. It's like talking to a neighbor who has the most amazing story to tell.

It's good to see Lech Walesa again. I had been wondering about him. I wasn't aware of Ms. Gbowee but the two of them received the Nobel Prize for Peace. They were both at the center of impossible change in their countries, ordinary people with simple wisdom that moved mountains. Geldof had a singular idea that touched millions of lives.

As artists, we make moves on our canvases, paper, clay, etc and trick the eye. We get a lot of credit for it and I've learned to just say thank you and make more.

Sometimes we can move mountains. It takes thought and a lot of moves as well. I think the artist and citizen of the world in you will appreciate this.

Peace,
Ken

Grateful Notices: Barn at the Edge of the Woods

BARN AT THE EDGE OF THE WOODS
pastel 15 1/4 x 19 1/8

It just occurred to me that I was traveling in Vermont with friends on my 60th birthday when I took this photo. Almost four years later to the day, it has sold and here it is on the blog.

I kept this pastel in the studio because it was still informing my other artworks. It is something I have been doing for years - hanging onto my better works until I can do art at that level with ease.

When I was an art dealer years ago, an artist would occasionally bring a work into the gallery that was far better than they usually do. I would make the suggestion that they take it back to the studio and use it as the high bar, the standard for the next works to come. Many of us find it very helpful.

Also, I have kept a number of works that represented artistic breakthroughs at the time. These works remind me to keep pushing forward and take more risks. There are a number of them in my home on the walls and some in storage. Good thing I did, because they will all be put to use.

I have just been invited to present a retrospective of my works at the Parker Arts Culture and Events Center: PACE, from January through March of 2015. It is a real honor to be featured in this amazing building dedicated to the arts. More information on that will follow soon.

Enjoy the glorious fall,

Ken

The Influence of the Arts: Serenading the Cows with a Trombone

This is an unforgettable video. The arts make a difference in the most unexpected way!

Kind of a sing-a-long at times.

Sculpture Made from Paper Video

Remarkable. Not at all what it seems....

Li Hongbo's mesmerizing sculptures are currently on view at Klein Sun Gallery in New York. After years of trial and error, he's perfected his method of layering thousands of sheets of paper and carving them into busts, replicas of nature and human forms.

New Work: "Yellow with Red Insisting", Oil on canvas 30 x 40 inches

Yellow with Red Insisting    Oil on canvas 30 x 40 inches

This oil was done as a demonstration at my Making it Fine Art Workshop in Halibut Cove, Alaska. map

I wanted to do something expressive that would be dramatic and elegant. The paint went on thick and I used some greys, adding them right into the yellows at the right.

Since the sun doesn't set until 11:30 in the summer, I used the late hour to do a second session before midnight. The next morning I got in a third session and put in some of the reds at the left.

After the workshop was done, the painting had to dry before it could be shipped back to my Colorado studio. After it arrived today I cut in the sky at the upper right and added purples and blues behind the trees on the right. A small amount of work was done on the field and the oil was complete.

Here's a photo of the fabulous setting where the workshop was held. I hope to get back to that slice of heaven again very soon!

New Work: Fall Begins Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches

Fall Begins  Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 inches

This oil was begun as a painting demonstration during my Art Workshop in Steamboat Springs last month. I really enjoyed going after this with full color. The sky and the colors behind the trees keep things organized, a real necessity here. 

Check out my website Workshop page for current listings and information for private lessons.

In the Studio August 4, 2014

There is a lot going on in the studio today.

The 30 x 40 oil, lower left is complete: Yellows with Reds Insisting
The 30 x 30 on the easel is also complete: Fall Begins

The 48 x 48 oil on the upper left is going through more changes. At one time it was all yellow trees, now telling what will happen next, but it keeps going through stages of getting better and more interesting along the way.

The 30 x 40 oil on the right easel is just about complete... it is there to be reviewed for the next few days.

I'll be starting in again on yellow and orange 4 x 5 foot oil on the floor, right. Can't wait!