flight of the imagination
MAR 9 TO 312012
gala opening reception Friday, Mar 9 5 - 8 pm
all works available prior to opening
view all works on line at SaksGalleries.com
enjoy an exclusive video interview with Andrea T Kemp at SaksGalleries.com
image: blow away 47 7/8 x 23 3/4 oil on board
3019 EAST 2ND AVE DENVER CO 80206 303 333 4144 SAKSGALLERIES.COM
flight of the imagination
MAR 9 TO 312012
gala opening reception Mar 9 5 - 9p
all works are available prior to opening
all paintings may be viewed on line at SaksGalleries.com
enjoy an exclusive video interview online at SaksGalleries.com
Please enjoy this four part exclusive interview with artist Andrea T Kemp written for Saks Galleries Cherry Creek by noted author Rosemary Carstens. Andrea will discuss, where ideas come from, style and color, process and other thoughts.
ANDREA KEMP ON OTHER TOPICS
Q: I understand you teach workshops. Where are you currently teaching and what advice would you give to someone striving to be an artist today?
A: I’m currently teaching at Denver’s Art Students League—my top choice when I moved to Denver. As a teacher, I try not to force my own style on my students. I emphasize the fundamentals of art that I feel are so often lost in art classes today.
I would tell anyone trying to become a professional artist to keep an open mind, draw as much as you can, and try to choose your teachers wisely. Try to paint and draw every day. Get out to museums and galleries to see as much high-quality art as you can. It’s wonderful to be an artist, but it takes a ton of work!
Q: Tell me something surprising about yourself that your collectors might not know.
A: If I hadn’t become an artist I’d probably have become a comedian. My husband and I joke about becoming standup comedians at some point in our lives. I also have a quirky interest in ghost hunting and love to visit historic sites rumored to be haunted.
Q: When you aren’t painting, what other activities do you enjoy?
A: I love music, sculpture, all sorts of cultural events and I also enjoy being outdoors biking, hiking, or going for a run. I usually take a quick jog with the dogs every day.
image: Flickering Light 16 x 12 oil on board
3019 EAST 2ND AVE DENVER CO 80206 303 333 4144 SAKSGALLERIES.COM
Rosemary Carstens writes for several national arts magazines and publishes an award-winning online magazine, FEAST, about books, art, food, film, and travel. She is the author of two books with a third presently being researched. For more information: http://www.CarstensCommunications.com and http://www.FEASTofBooks.com.
flight of the imagination
MAR 9 TO 312012
gala opening reception Mar 9 5 - 9
all works are available prior to opening
all paintings may be viewed on line at SaksGalleries.com
enjoy an exclusive video interview online at Saks Galleries.com
Please enjoy this four part exclusive interview with artist Andrea T Kemp written for Saks Galleries Cherry Creek by noted author Rosemary Carstens. Andrea will discuss, where ideas come from, style and color, process and other thoughts.
ANDREA KEMP ON PROCESS
Q: In terms of your process, I’ve heard you referred to as a classical realist. Would you agree?
A: I like to think of my work as naturalistic and ever evolving. Naturalistic is the appropriate term for describing my work. It means the subject matter—whatever it is—is rendered so that it mimics the appearance of the three-dimensional objects you are painting. It looks lifelike. I try to focus on the elements—principles of design gain strength in my visual approach. My narrative remains ambiguous, leaving its impression on viewers longer lasting and more open to interpretation.
A: Those of us who aren’t professional artists always wonder about how artists prepare for new paintings and how they actually work, from start to finish. What’s that like for you?
A: These days I take more time with my studies prior to beginning a new painting. I’m more deliberate. Sometimes I do a small study on board—I paint mostly on board although I sometimes use canvases for larger works. I make up a lot of prepared boards all at once. I coat huge sheets of Masonite with gesso, using a big house-painting roller. I apply three coats of the gesso, first rolling on vertically, sanding the surface down with a power sander, and then rolling on the next coat horizontally, followed by another sanding, and so on. I cut the sheets into various sizes for paintings.
When I’m ready to begin a new painting, I usually tone the board. The color I choose relates to the temperature of the light I have planned. I transfer my initial sketch or study to the board by eye using vine charcoal, which I brush off, and then I follow the faint outline with diluted paint. I build many layers of paint in some pieces and on others I am able to capture what I’m after with only one or two layers. It just depends on the painting. I do use glazes, but more as strengtheners, to give more punch to certain areas.
I always keep my painting evolving as a whole, so that I could walk away from it at any point without areas seeming unfinished. I work all over the canvas and focus on the abstract visual aspects, developing the image from there into a recognizable scene.
image: "Reclining Nude" 8 x 15 oil on board
3019 EAST 2ND AVE DENVER CO 80206 303 333 4144 SAKSGALLERIES.COM
Rosemary Carstens writes for several national arts magazines and publishes an award-winning online magazine, FEAST, about books, art, food, film, and travel. She is the author of two books with a third presently being researched. For more information: http://www.CarstensCommunications.com and http://www.FEASTofBooks.com.
