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The Artist
Roger McKasson is a
native Californian who was born and raised in the
northern San Francisco Bay Area town of
Vallejo. He is primarily a self taught artist who works in a
variety of painting and drawing mediums as well as being a noted bronze
sculptor. He did take painting and life drawing classes perusing
degrees in Anthropology at California State University, Sacramento
where he received a BA Degree and an MA Degree (abt) in
Anthropology with a concentration in Pre-Columbian Archaeology and
Early Man Studies. Roger McKasson began working as a professional
artist in 1984 founding his own freelance artist business while
living and working in Malibu, CA.
The main subject of
Roger McKasson's work is the Female
Figure. Although, he has worked as a landscape painter in the
past,
and recently created a series of paintings based in part on the Greek
Isles. Still his love for doing the female figure remains his
main passion when it comes to doing art. He believes that
the female figure offers the greatest challenge to an artist, as
well as the greatest beauty. A minimalist artist by nature
Roger McKasson felt that the composition of a painting is not achieved
necessarily by what is in the background of a painting or drawing of a
female figure but mainly by her pose, the lines of her form, and the
expression on her face and in her eyes that sets the composition of the
work of art. This is basically the same thought as an abstract
painter uses to create their composition, mainly color and form.
As a Minimalist, Roger McKasson also likes to work in fewer colors as
well.
His earliest
commercial paintings were done in a bold Block Print
Graphic Style similar to Japanese Art which also inspired artists like
Toulouse-Lautrec and Patrick Nagel. Roger McKasson's early
graphics in the mid-1980s were collected by art collectors in Southern
California and were featured by in Arte' International Art Gallery
advertisements in the February 1987 issue of Palm Springs Life
Magazine. During that period his works also appeared in other art
publications and even the cover of the Malibu Times Newspaper as well
as
a Solo Show at Art Center/Palisades in Pacific Palisades, CA.
Requests for his work also came from Art Base Gallery in Singapore
giving him International Recognition's years before the creation of the
Internet!!
In the early 1990s
Roger McKasson changed his style totally from the
hard edge acrylic graphic to his now well known softer pastel like
watercolor figure studies and bold impressionistic oils. This style
change was influenced by the late artists Christine Rosamond and Frank
W. Benson. Rosamond for her minimalist style of women and
Benson for his American Impressionist Style of women with flowing
bright white
dresses. These styles are still the ones Roger McKasson uses in his
paintings and pastels today.
His present paintings, especially his watercolors, make use of a
limited palette of usually soft colors. Light is his main
motivation. How light reflects of the subject and the
characteristic white dresses of his subjects. His flesh tones are
carefully laid down in thin transparent layers that are blotted off
before they dry leaving only traces of color with each application
until the layers build up and create the soft transparent quality that
is a recognized style of a Roger McKasson watercolor.
The Bronze Sculptures of Roger McKasson are also unique to him. Not
working in just one theme like most sculptors, he creates works that
vary in in subject matter. The simple bust of an African American
pioneer women he titled "Awaiting" because she represents the wife of a
Buffalo Soldier 'awaiting' her husbands return from his patrol.
Her emotions are clearly seen on the expression on her face and in her
eyes. She is McKasson's tribute to ethnic pioneer women who are
often left out of our history.
Roger McKasson's other sculptures range from small Fairies and
Mermaids, and "The Girl with a Pearl Earring", an Amazon Woman, to the
larger Angel "Peace", to a Native American "Spirit Woman", a "Wading"
nude, a young playful "Stargazer", and the 6 foot tall "Lady of the
Lake" handing of the sword Excaliber. Finished clay works in
progress include a 44" high "Step Dancer" and a 40" high girl in a
"Grounding" pose. As a sculptor Roger McKasson does not wish to
restrict his subjects to just one theme. There are too many themes to
settle for just one or even a few.
Hidalgo County New Mexico commissioned McKasson in 2002 to create a
sculpture for them to give to New Mexico Governor Bill
Richardson. He created a Special Edition of his "Spirit Woman"
and donated it to Governor Richardson in February 2003. It now sits in
the Governor's Offices in the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe.
Roger McKasson's works have recently been
advertised solely in Artlife Arizona, American Art Review
Magazine, New Mexico Traveler Book & Magazine, The Bootheel
Magazine, and various southwestern tourism publications for
Hidalgo County New Mexico Economic Development promotional
advertising.
In 2005 Roger McKasson was one of the featured New
Mexico Artists in New Mexico Traveler Magazine. This was a honor
as they normally only feature one two New Mexico artists each
years. Past years artists included R.C. Gorman and Georgia
O"Keefe.
In 2006 Roger McKasson opened a site on MySpace.com
to network with other artists and people interested in the arts. Since
doing that his work is now rapidly gaining popularity thoughout the
world especially in Denmark, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, and
the United Kingdom.
Photographs by Roger McKasson
Copyright 1997 - 2007
All Images and Text are Copyrighted and may not be Reproduced.
All Rights Reserved.
Roger McKasson
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