Q&A with Artist Jim Klein: Art and Inspiration in the Fall

The autumn is said to be a time of change. Artist Jim Klein shares his thoughts on the season called a “second spring” and the hidden influences one experiences in life can have on their art.

As an artist, do you have a favorite season to paint in?
Jim: I don’t have a preference for painting in a specific weather season. Painting has more to do with where I am at. A personal season versus the actual season, you could say.

Do you find that the seasons influence the subjects of your artwork?
Jim: Initially I wanted to say they do not have a heavy influence, but if I look back at my paintings over the years it is present on occasion, sometimes more obvious in some than in others. One really present example of seasonal influence is my painting “Central Park” which was directly inspired and motivated by the migration of blackbirds in October.When I begin a painting, I often won’t notice the presence of any particular influence right away. Everything has influence, but we often aren’t aware when or how that will show itself. In life, we go through what I call “personal seasons”. What we’re going through at any point in our life also has influence in what we do or create, but we may not see its effects immediately.

Each season has a unique palette; Winter has blues, grays, and white. Spring is made of greens, yellows, and pinks while Summer brings us greens, blues, and yellow. Presently, the Fall surrounds us with yellow, orange, reds, and browns.

Do you find a certain season’s color palette energizes you the most as an artist or do they all inspire differently?
Jim: Each season is individual and energizes me in very different ways. For example, living in Colorado, we do get to experience the seasons and that is sometimes reflective in my art. Right now, we’re going through the fall: earth tone colors, more grey or drab colors, leaves falling off trees. If I lived full time in Scottsdale I’d probably be painting more deserts. I believe your environment can be very reflected in your art. Sometimes the influence stays hidden, other times it bursts forward.

Once when I was painting in Scottsdale, I was observing a flower garden. As I progressed on the painting, I looked again at the outline of the garden on the canvas and realized I had painted the contours of Camelback Mountain. It was completely subconscious.

Everything we witness and experience has influence; how it comes out is the fascinating part of art.

 

Artwork featured in order: “New Hampshire”, “October Colors”, “Echo Canyon”
To view more contemporary abstract artwork, please visit the Online Gallery here.