August 2022 at the Gallery
Volume 13, Issue 8
Artist of the Month:
Kathleen Carr
As a photographer who has garnered decades of high accolades, and a member artist of KVA since 2015, Kathleen Carr does not require introduction to our regular patrons and followers. However, they might be pleased to know that she is introducing a new collection of images, along with a new book, centered around Hawaiian Flowers.
Many of the photographs I am displaying this month come from my small book,
Walks in the Neighborhood: Pandemic Lockdown 2020.
Photographs by Kathleen T. Carr.. When the pandemic first hit in March 2020, all access to the ocean was closed for a month. Since I swim in the ocean most mornings for my exercise, I started walking in my neighborhood, mostly on Painted Church Road. It was Spring, and everything was in bloom. I had my iPhone 11 Pro with me, so I started photographing the many exquisite blossoms and foliage. The quality from my phone was excellent, in fact, too sharp, so I softened the images with a filter. I picked the best 60 images for my small book, which is available for sale and online as an ebook. It was also fun to research what all the flowers were.
New Member Artist Ken Geer
Ken Geer is a keen observer of color, details, textures, and patterns in nature. He then meticulously transfers those observations into his paintings, which can take hundreds of hours to complete. The result is that viewers who allow themselves to get drawn into his paintings will discover additional paintings within the painting.
Geer usually paints on 16 x 20 inch watercolor paper, but pays enough attention to detail and texture that smaller sections of his paintings can stand alone as works of art.
In a close up of his Botanical Gardens painting, for example, one can really feel the moss growing on the rocks.
Through his exacting attention to detail, especially in regards to color and texture, Geer aims to share the beauty from which nature is composed.
Stained glass really hit its stride during the Middle Ages as the Roman Catholic Church rose in power and wealth. Stained glass windows in the early Middle Ages were dominated by thick, iron frames set into even thicker walls and were mostly round. In the 12th century, with the rise of Gothic architecture, large scale stained glass windows began to dominate churches throughout Europe. These windows were large and dazzling in their color and detail, aided with paint. These windows detailed biblical stories for a mostly illiterate society.
Islamic artisans incorporated more geometric and naturalistic themes in their windows.
Kathleen Carr captures the radiance of nature.
Carr has utilized a variety of techniques and alternate processes over the years, but her vision is still the same. She says, “I seek to experience the radiance in all life and have my images express that radiance tangibly enough so that others may see and feel it, too. Caring deeply about nature, especially when I see such environmental destruction in the world, I want my photography to inspire people to honor the earth and all who live upon it."
Kathleen Carr has been a fine art and professional photographer since the late 60s. She received a BFA in Photography in 1970 and then studied extensively with Minor White and worked for Aperture, a renowned photography quarterly. In 1991 Kathleen was given a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. For decades, she taught alternative Polaroid techniques and Photoshop in colleges, art centers and the San Francisco Art Institute. She still offers private instruction in photography, Photoshop and the digital darkroom. Her award-winning work has been exhibited internationally, purchased for private collections, and has appeared in numerous books and periodicals. Her five books are Walks in the Neighborhood: Pandemic Lockdown 2020; Dolphins: Kindred Spirits; Polaroid Transfers; Polaroid Manipulations (Amphoto Books 1997 & 2002); and To Honor the Earth (HarperSanFrancisco, 1991). She is president and a founding member of SOKO (South Kona Artists Collective) and a member of the art group, West Hawaii Artists Tribe (WHAT).
Carr's current passions are digital infrared, landscapes, nature, and the digital darkroom. You can visit her website at
www.kathleentcarr.com for more.
Selected matted, framed, and aluminum prints will be featured at the gallery during the month of August. Prints can be ordered at any size, on any surface, up to 30 x 40 inches.
Walks in the Neighborhood is at the press and copies are expected on island in early August. Soft cover, 8 x 8 inches, 60 full-color pages, $28. Signed copies of the book will be available for pick up at the KVA gallery. You can also order a printed book or ebook at https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2278919?__r=4004469
Kathleen Carr will be at the KVA gallery in person on Thursday, August 11, Monday, August 15, and Tuesday, August 30 to sign books, answer questions about her work, or just talk story.
