Plein-Air Artist Kenn Backhaus returns to Catalina Island for the third year in a row as one of the featured artists in the “Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale,” scheduled for June 21-22, at the Catalina Island Country Club.
Backhaus was born in Beaver Dam, Wis., and spent much of his childhood on the family farm near Burnett, Wis. His fondness for nature became the catalyst for his art. His parents encouraged his artistic education and following high school he attended Layton School of Art in Milwaukee.
Plein-Air Artist Kenn Backhaus returns to Catalina Island for the third year in a row as one of the featured artists in the “Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale,” scheduled for June 21-22, at the Catalina Island Country Club.
Backhaus was born in Beaver Dam, Wis., and spent much of his childhood on the family farm near Burnett, Wis. His fondness for nature became the catalyst for his art. His parents encouraged his artistic education and following high school he attended Layton School of Art in Milwaukee.
As a commercial designer and illustrator, Backhaus received many awards at both local and national levels, which included acceptance in the 30th Annual Society of Illustrators Show in New York City. Although he took pride in his commercial successes, his heart always belonged to the fine art of outdoor painting.
With his developing interest in the historic traditions of plein air painting, he decided in 1984, to devote more time to his passion for painting and the love of the outdoors. He found that capturing true color, value, atmosphere and mood of a subject was best done on location or through direct observation. He has also discovered the importance of his studio time in union with his outdoor experiences, and enjoys the challenges of both. His passion for painting has broadened his subject matter to include not only landscape work, but also figurative, portrait, still life and nature painting. When asked his favorite subjects to paint, he said, “Anything under the sun and moon is fair game.”
Backhaus has been featured in numerous art publications and books and can be currently seen in the collection of 2012 Wild Side paintings on display in the Nature Center at Avalon Canyon. He regularly serves as an acceptance juror and awards judge for many shows around the country.
Eleven nationally acclaimed plein air artists will display their interpretations of Catalina’s rugged wildlands as well as Avalon and Two Harbors at the “Catalina: The Wild Side Art Show and Sale on June 21-22.”
The art-filled weekend will begin with a Artists Preview Dinner on June 21, the Friday evening before the show, at a private residence in Avalon, Catalina Island.
On June 22, the show—featuring more than 100 plein air paintings at the Catalina Island Country Club. Tickets for the show and the dinners are available online at catalinaconservancy.org.
