JOHN MAC KAH - Rapid River Magazine

R A P I D R I V E R A R T S
fine art
INTERVIEW WITH
John Mac Kah
INTERVIEWED BY DENNIS RAY
Rapid River Magazine: What led
you to landscape painting and
more importantly perhaps, what
led you to capture landscapes
through en plein air? (En plein air
is a French expression that means literally
“in the open air” and is particularly used to
describe the act of painting outdoors)?
John Mac Kah: When you come to my
studio, you’ll find a lot of different subjects
– from landscape to wild life, from portrait
to fantasy and prehistoric life. But, landscape
is my primary interest and is most
rewarding. Plein-air is misunderstood.
People think it means to paint quickly. Only
outside can you find the truth in color and
atmosphere.
RRM: How would you
describe your process?
JMK: Depending on the
complexity of the scene I
like to get in two or three
visits to a site. Sometimes
I return as many as six
times, working in the field.
This is indirect painting
(in layers) as opposed to
direct painting (a la prima).
This method yields more
depth and texture and detail
which I love.
RRM: What kind of equipment
do you use outside?
JMK: The equipment varies
between the traditional
French ‘box” easel and an
Italian style folding field
easel. It depends on the
Valley Cedars
terrain and the weather. I
sometimes take an umbrella
to cut the glare and give me some shade.
And stakes to tie down the rig if it becomes
windy. Nothing worse than a canvas to pick
up a wind like a sail, then land in the sand.
RRM: What is your primary goal in painting
a particular location?
JMK: Each location is unique like a person,
so I try to get a meaningful portrait of the
site, and its peculiar mood, detail and energy.
Cold Mountain (in Haywood County)
has always had a strong energy that I felt
when painting. I’ve painted it about seven
times from various locations.
RRM: What advice do you give your students
to help them become better landscape
painters?
JMK: I try to emphasize the importance of
on location studies on gessoed paper, instead
Highland View
by John Mac Kah
Valley Cedars by John Mac Kah
John Mac Kah working en plein air
of the ‘make a masterpiece-the-first-timenotion’.
John Singer Sargent said, “…paint
100 heads.” The same can be said for landscape…or
anything else.
RRM: What is your approach
to using on-site
sketches to develop larger
studio pieces?
JMK: Again, small intimate
studies to create a bank
of information and true
feeling for the area or time
of day, which can easily be
lost in a larger version.
RRM: Of all the plein air
paintings you’ve done,
which is your favorite and
why?
JMK: Favorite painting? A
vacant lot across from my
house full of chicory in
bloom with Queen Anne’s
lace. It had truth in it.
RRM: What is your
philosophy on the artist’s
connection to nature?
JMK: All truth and beauty comes from
Nature. Period. My favorite quote is from Li
Po, “Cherish the land no one owns…”
RRM: What is the most unusual thing that
has ever happened to you while you were
outside painting?
JMK: Many things come to mind. Two,
though stand out. We were painting in central
Florida on Hontoon, an old shell midden,
and came across a beautiful coral snake
when preparing a camp site. And when at
Huntington Island, SC a river otter confidently
trotted through the area where I was
painting on the beach near the light house,
ignoring me completely.
RRM: Your style carries very well throughout
all of your work. How do you balance
plein air painting with your studio work?
Continued on page 6
Vol. 14, No. 9 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — May 2011 3