Kale Van Leeuwen
Kansas City, Missouri
Subtlety has never been my strong point. I create work that is vivid, bold and eye-catching. One consistent thread in all of my work is the use of light and reflections. Whether the subject matter is a mannequin, chairs, marbles or a ceramic horse, the lighting is always a key part of the painting. I also have a great desire for color; the brighter the better. I like the vibrancy of the saturated color next to the deep black shades.
Currently, my work is a process that starts with a photo, edited heavily, then collaged onto canvas. I am not as concerned much about the flatness and exactness of the gluing process. I like to let the wrinkles and tears happen naturally. After the glue has dried I paint directly on the image. In most cases up to 90% of the canvas with paint. I like to leave some of the photograph untouched. After that I glaze the entire painting with a gloss varnish. The varnish gives the surface a unified appearance. As this process has many steps, I usually work about 10-15 paintings at a time. Some artists don’t like to tell their processes and “secrets”, I, however, don’t mind. Regardless of how a painting is created, no two artists execute exactly the same.
The main reason I create is that I don’t know any better. It’s just what I do.
