Kenn Backhaus

www.KennBackhaus.com
Study to Studio

September 26 - October 2, 2010

Medium: Oil
Level: Intermediate and Advanced
5-Day Outdoor/Studio Class

As a Plein-Air Artist, you have been on location painting and have collected a number of small studies. Now you want to take those studies to the next stage; which may be creating a larger format painting in the studio. This will be the challenge of this workshop.  We will spend approximately two and one half days outdoors collecting studies and the remainder of the week we will create larger format paintings in the studio from some of those studies. Kenn will explain through lecture and demonstration the process he goes through in collecting the outdoor study. Then he will explain through lecture and demonstration the considerations we must make to take that study to a larger studio painting. Design decisions must be pondered, as well as keeping that fresh spontaneous feel which was captured in the small study. The use of photography will assist us to obtain additional information that we may not have had time to capture in that small on-location study. We will take this photographic information along with our studies and we will make proper use of it in our studio setting.

Kenn was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and spent much of his childhood on the family farm near Burnett, Wisconsin.  His fondness for nature became the catalyst for his art.  Kenn’s parents encouraged his artistic education and following High School, he attended Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As a commercial designer and illustrator Kenn received many awards at both local and national levels, which included acceptance in the 30^th Annual Society of Illustrators Show in New York.  Although Kenn took pride in his commercial successes, his heart always belonged to the fine art of outdoor painting.

With his developing interest in the historic traditions of plein air painting, Kenn decided in 1984, to devote more time to his passion for painting and the love of the outdoors.  He found that capturing true color, value, atmosphere and the mood of a subject was best done on location or through direct observation.  He has also discovered the importance of his studio time in union with his outdoor experiences and enjoys the challenges of both. His passion for painting has broadened his subject matter to include not only landscape, but also figurative, portrait, still life and nature.

Kenn’s works have been juried into many shows across the country and his paintings have been honored with numerous awards and distinctions.  Kenn has been featured in numerous art publications and books. He regularly serves as an acceptance juror and awards judge for many shows across the country.  He was one of fifty artists selected from across the country to participate in a traveling museum show titled, “From Sea to Shining Sea - A Reflection of America”.. The exhibit opened at the Haggin Museum, Stockton, CA in the Spring of 2004 and traveled to various museums across the country through 2007. Kenn was also filmed, painting up in Alaska as part of a PBS series entitled, “Plein Air, Painting the American Landscape”.  For more information on this series you can check out his website at: www.kennbackhaus.com

Kenn will be part of a new American Public Television art education program. The program entitled, Passport & Palette™ represents the next generation of art education on television. The high-definition series invites viewers to see the world through the eyes of acclaimed master artists, including en plein air painter Kevin Macpherson, still-life artist Joe Anna Arnett, watercolor specialist James Asher and outdoor painter Kenn Backhaus. Cameras follow the artists as they travel to some of the most picturesque locations in France, Switzerland, Guatemala, Italy, Canada and the United States, select their painting subjects and create new landscapes, still lifes and portraits. Along the way, the artists discuss their unique approaches to their work, as well as their mental process, influences and style.

Kenn is a Signature Member of both the Oil Painters of America and the Plein-Air Painters of America.  He also served as President of the Plein-Air Painters of America from the year 2000 through 2001.