Be inspired by Kelly Kane’s spotlight on the up-and-coming plein air painter Emma Kalff:
Art education: I studied at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts, where Gus Hoffman was my favorite teacher for plein air painting. He had so many creative exercises to get us out of our heads, like a limited-stroke painting where we could only touch the canvas 20 times. He said that when you’re working on a painting and find you have a favorite part, destroy it and make it better.
Favorite subjects: Between the subtlety of the greens and the infinite shapes of space between the branches and leaves, they’re deceptively difficult to capture, but I love painting trees.
Aha moment: For years I painted in a classical plein air manner. Although I always felt excited as I worked, I was never thrilled with the finished paintings. Then I realized I could layer multiple plein air scenes over one another. To do so, I often start a canvas in one location and finish it in another.
Working this way has enabled me to explore the ambiguous world of memories and dreams. I often find I’ll remember what the carpet looked like when someone told me something, but I won’t remember who was talking. Or I’ll remember a certain building I used to love some years ago, but I won’t remember which city it was in. I find that my dreams are built on the same murky recollection that my memories are made of. This state of vague familiarity is endlessly fascinating to me, and I strive to capture it in my paintings.
What I would do for a living if I wasn’t an artist: I’d like to think I’d be working in a library. I love reading, and I think it’s a radical notion to provide the public with free books and other resources.
Favorite artists: Auseklis Ozols founded the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts and was the main teacher I studied with during my time there. I will never forget his brilliance and the care with which he taught all of us. His work has an ancient knowledge to it that makes it universally meaningful.
He taught us that less is more. A painting with muted colors and one small stroke of red says more about that color than a canvas entirely covered in it. I carry that lesson with me every time I paint. It helps me to work with a singular focus and not deviate from it.
The advice I wish I had received earlier in my painting career: I recently started working with the Professional Artist Institute online, and I’ve learned so much about the business side of art that I wish I had known earlier. You can have all the ideas in the world, but they won’t get you anywhere if they aren’t presented with care. I’ve now started making the highest-quality product I can from start to finish, including the panels I prime for painting, the oil paint and varnish I use, the framing, everything. If I see something I can do to make my paintings better, I do it.
I’ve also learned the importance of making it easy for customers to work with me. Fast communication and reliable products go a long way in the art world, where everything is a bit mercurial to begin with. These aspects of work ethic and responsibility aren’t taught in art schools but are vital to building a career.
Website: emmakalff.com
