GALLERIES —

CALIFORNIA GOTHIC © 1986 Keith Halonen    oil on panel    48¼×60 in / 122×152 cm    $ 48,000 US COLLECTION OF GERALD KING — FOR SALE BY OWNER

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A portrait of friends, including household pets, living the modern life. This is a westward view from a cliffside residence in the Northern California coastal community of Sea Ranch.      Over time, the image acquired new significance for the subjects, hence the current title. Many viewers insist that it reminds them of Grant Wood's American Gothic. Some began referring to it as California Gothic, and that's how it acquired it's current name. The painting is for sale by its current owner.      I began this portrait project with a photo shoot that included the basic composition and several close-up images. I often do this since the basic composition shot may lack certain details or subtle pose angles which may be captured by more intimate close-up work. A camera is a useful tool, especially when one considers the patience of cats and dogs.      After rendering a fairly accurate color prelim and getting first-phase approval, I began to prepare the panel for the special treatment I had in mind. First I gave it the usual four coats of gesso, each coat sanded smooth before the next application. I projected an accurate pale pencil outline of the scene onto my large panel. At this juncture I created a brilliant white thick impasto gel and applied heavy layers very carefully only on those areas of the image which represented the hair on the subjects' heads and the fur on their pets. I then sculpted the hair textures using various comb-like tools and a stylus.      I next acquired the actual articles of apparel worn by the subjects during the photo shoot. These I trimmed until there remained only the swatches required for the effect I had in mind. These were immersed in gesso and firmly wrung out to insure removal of as much oxygen as possible, then resoaked in gesso for maximum saturation. The gesso-soaked swatches of material were then applied directly to the surface of the panel. I exercised great care in positioning the edges of the material within the pale pencilled outlines on the panel, and I took care to accurately reproduce the effects of draped and folded fabrics as they appeared on the models in the photograph. Finally, I wiped away excess gesso that had spilled or smeared outside the appliquéd areas and then allowed the fabrics to dry in place. This effectively cemented them to the smooth undercoats. Now came the time to apply paint.

Detail from CALIFORNIA GOTHIC

I painted background undercoats first, then the background mid-tones, and finally background details. This was essential since almost all the fabric swatches represented foreground objects. The first paint mixtures applied to the appliquéd fabrics were filmy wash applications of medium which would sink into the depressions between the raised areas in the weave. I wiped off anything which clung to the upper surfaces of the fabric, leaving color only in the "well" areas. Next I dry-brushed and scumbled over the elevated surfaces to recreate the most subtle effects of the garments. So, when you look at this painting, you are looking at the actual embroidered blouse and print skirt worn by the female model. You are seeing the actual cutoff bluejeans worn by the male model.      Naturally, all the patterns, colors, highlights, and shading had to be recreated by brushwork, but these are the measures I undertook to make this artwork a very special piece.

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