Art spring 14
by Michele Malinchak
In addition to being an artist, Kenn Backhaus could easily qualify as a travel expert. His globe trekking has taken him to places many of us can only dream about, but sightseeing is not his goal. For the past 30 years his passion for plein air painting has kept him on a quest to capture the moment, trusting his eyes and not his mind to paint whatever is in front of him.
Plein air, a French word, literally translates as “open air,” and is defined as painting or drawing done outside. As a plein air artist, Kenn paints natural light and uses color to define form. The technique involves painting ‘ala prima,’ laying down a scene with quick broad brush strokes and using thin versus thick layers of paint. Depending on the light and weather, plein air paintings are generally done in one session. Sometimes
Kenn does quick color studies outdoors combined with photos that enable him to complete the work in his studio. “Painting from memory can be just as much fun as in person,” he said.Born in 1951 in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, he grew up on his parent’s dairy farm near Burnett, Wisconsin. One of four children, he enjoyed exploring the great outdoors on his own and as a result would often be late for his chores. This exploration instilled an appreciation of nature that is evident throughout his work. It has also given him a sense of wanderlust that inspires him to travel and paint. “I have a nomadic force that fits the perfect style for the outdoor painter,” he said.
Kenn’s earliest introduction to art was watching his father sketch on scrap paper as he copied pictures from magazines with amazing accuracy. He had no formal art training but a natural ability to interpret what he saw. Kenn began drawing as well and his growing interest in art was encouraged by his parents and teachers.
After graduating high school, he attended the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he learned the principles and foundations of art. He graduated in 1973 and embarked on a career in illustration and commercial design. The recipient of numerous awards on both local and national levels, he was accepted in the 30th Annual Society of Illustrators Show in New York City. During his career as a commercial artist, Kenn developed a versatile style that took many forms. “I had callouses on my head from putting so many different hats on,” he said.
Though successful at his job, he longed to return to fine art. In 1984 he decided to devote more time to his passion for painting outdoors. “I found that direct observation was key in capturing the true color, value and mood of a subject,” he said. “The subject itself is less important than the play of light and shadow.”
The artist, who currently resides in Lambertville, New Jersey, is comfortable painting a broad range of subject matter including landscape, figurative, portrait, still life and wildlife. His style can vary from impressionist to realist depending on how he paints his subjects. More importantly, he wants his work to look spontaneous and fresh, not premeditated or calculated.
On his blog site, Lines and Colors, artist Charley Parker wrote the following about him: “He paints with the crisp immediacy often associated with the best plein air painters, using textural brushstrokes and the artful simplification of forms to their essentials to capture fleeting light in the field. He searches out the real light and color of the scene before him, finding compositional drama in value contrasts and richness of color in the carefully noted relationships of adjacent colors.”
This is illustrated in his work entitled, Twilight Along Swan Creek. Rustic stone bridges are framed by graceful arching tree branches with a winding creek below. The colors are subdued with the exception of some warm reds in the foreground and perspective is used to lead the viewer deep into the painting. In the distance a glimmer of light is reflected on the water, lending a mysterious aura to the scene. Kenn often allows the viewer to interpret and finish parts of the painting rather than spelling it out for them.
Another painting of his features the Delaware River with the moon setting at the same time the sun is rising. Entitled, Morning Calm, the unique composition is mostly water with very minimal sky. The warm colors of fall foliage stand out against cooler tones in the river and sky. Steam rises on the water and if one looks closely, you can see geese in the distance. Though representational in its subject matter, the composition of shapes and the blocks of color create an almost abstract quality.
In the past seven years he has experimented more and strives to paint the unique rather than the predictable. To that end, he visits museums and studies other artists, trying to figure out why he doesn’t like certain paintings.
“I try to find the ‘wow’ factor in a scene and push the limits by going outside of my comfort zone,” Kenn said. “I don’t want to duplicate myself by painting the same things over and over again. I’ll ask myself, how can I make my painting look different from those of other artists.”
Finding his own voice or brand is a goal many artists struggle with and one he has finally achieved. In the process he has learned far more from his failures than his successes. “I have a quote that I keep on my easel: ‘Expect failure, just don’t accept it,” he said.
When he is not painting, Kenn frequently serves as an acceptance juror and awards judge for art shows across the country. He has won numerous awards for his own work and has been featured in several art publications such as PleinAir and American Artist magazines. In addition, he is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America and the Plein-Air Painters of America, serving as president of the latter group from 2000-2001.
He is also featured in the book, Art of the National Parks: Historic Connections, Contemporary Interpretations, published in 2013. One of 70 painters and sculptors who contributed their visions of eight of the nation's parks, Kenn was selected for his paintings of Zion National Park in Utah where he painted during 1999-2007. His work captured the breathtaking vistas of earth-toned sandstone cliffs and canyons against a brilliant blue sky and is reminiscent of Edgar Payne, a great American landscape painter Kenn admires.
Other deceased artists he highly regards are Bruno Liljefors, John Fabian Carlson, John Singer Sargent and Anders Zorn. He also appreciates the work of contemporary living artists such as Daniel Gerhartz, Len Chmiel, Daniel Pinkham and Luiz Vilela.
Some of you may have even seen Kenn on television. In 2007 he was filmed in Alaska where he and two other artists painted for the PBS series, Plein Air, Painting the American Landscape. While painting at Denali Park, they had a surprise visit by one of the local inhabitants.
“I was smoking a cigar at the time,” he recalled, “when the camera man asked me to put it out. I did so and then we saw this grizzly bear making its way towards us. The other artists took off, but I wasn’t about to leave until I gathered my gear. The bear sniffed around and I think the cigar smoke made him eventually go away.”
He was also instrumental in the creation of Passport and Palette, the American Public Television series that follows artists as they travel and paint to various locations around the globe including locations in France, Switzerland, Guatemala and Italy. When asked if he has a favorite spot to paint, he said, “The Lake Como area in Italy is hard to beat. The Swiss Alps lay to the north and the mountains and hillsides seem to rise up and out of the lake itself.”
Kenn’s paintings have been shown at galleries in California, Maryland, South Carolina, West Virginia and Utah. His work is represented locally by the Travis Gallery in New Hope and the Highlands Art Gallery in Lambertville.
For the past 15 years he has also been teaching art and conducting workshops. Recently he and Cheryl Macdowall, owner of the Highlands Art Gallery, collaborated to open the New Hope School of Art. Located near Lambertville, it offers single and multiple day workshops with both outdoor and indoor classes taught by some of the country’s leading instructors. For information on the school, visit the website at: newhopeschoolofart.com or call 908-797-8982. His work will be shown as part of Celebrating 300 with Brush and Palette, a show that honors Hunterdon County’s 300th anniversary and also includes Lili Anne Laurin, Luiz Vilela, Susan Blackwood and Howard Friedland. The show opens on September 20 and lasts until October 19 at the Highlands Art Gallery, 41 N Union St, Lambertville, New Jersey. For more information call Highlands Art Gallery at 908-766-2720. You can see more of Kenn’s work on his website: kennbackhaus.com.
Michele Malinchak is a freelance writer and avid gardener from Quakertown, PA.