Small, Simple and Superlative

"Pansies"
4x8
(c) Catherine Kehoe

I don't know how I have failed to discover Catherine Kehoe before now. She is a very talented painter and teaches at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. As my blog readers know by now, I am an enthusiastic fan of
small paintings and of simplification--both of which Kehoe does in spades. 

"Self Portrait with Red Glasses"
8 x 6
(c) Catherine Kehoe 2010

In an interview (link on the website, below), Kehoe notes that she was told frequently as a student to paint larger. She has resisted that advice, and in fact has painted in smaller and smaller formats over time. Most of her paintings are about 6 x 8 or 8 x 8 inches. She focuses on still life and the figure. My personal favorites are her self-portraits. Kehoe herself notes that, in painting the self-portraits, she is able "to work boldly, simply and quickly, in a way that is not typical of the way I paint a still life".  Interestingly, she usually sits down and does these self-portraits quickly, at the end of a long day painting still lifes.

"Lillies, Ranunculus"
8 x 6
(c) Catherine Kehoe

Regarding the small size of her paintings, the interviewer said he was particularly delighted with their scale. He noted that they have a "gem-lkike power of attraction", which draws the eye in. Tim Kennedy wrote this about small scale paintings of Kehoe and others: They "communicate intimacy. The viewer becomes intensely aware of his or her own space as well as the space in the painting...We see the artist's hand in the marks on the surface of the panel or canvas that magically transform themselves at the same instant into a house or a flower--then back again. It is an endless circuit that produces the hypnotic illusion of stopped time." Yes, it's a monumental thing. No wonder they titled the exhibit "Small is Big".

"Dutch Angle"
12 x 12
(c) Catherine Kehoe

Kehoe is also devoted to painting from observation (rather than from photos). She has set up a wonderful website entitled "Painting" Powers of Observation". It was initially intended for her students, but has attracted quite a following. It is full of practical information, quotations about painting, and more serious reflections and essays. Not to mention plenty of images of paintings of her students as well as established masters. I am putting it on my list of favorites!