Thomas Kegler Artist Interview, Palette, Tonalism

Thomas Kegler invites us to engage, relate and find an emotional connection with nature’s transitional moments that points us upwards.

Thomas Kegler is a self-taught contemporary Tonalist and art instructor who often depicts the woods and hills of his native Western New York, as well as the Catskills and the majestic mountains of Alaska and Oregon. He is deeply influenced by the traditions of the Tonalism masters from America, Russia and Australia. His works are featured in homes and galleries all over the world including John Pence in San Francisco, CA, Beals & Abbate in Santa Fe, NM, Meibohm Fine Arts in East Aurora, NY, and Cavalier in Greenwich, CT.

Tonalism.com: Do you call or think of yourself as a Tonalist? How or why / why not?

Thomas Kegler: The short answer is yes. But, I would not exclusively place myself under the category of Tonalism, as I also incorporate approaches and sensibilities of Lumanism, Impressionism, and the Hudson River School . I've always been drawn to the later Tonalist works of George Inness. There is a balance of specificity and ambiguity to his work that has always drawn me. I love the way he provides the viewer enough information to generate a connection, while leaving out enough for the viewer to engage with the work and “fill in” the blanks. This creates a dynamic interaction between the artist, the work and the audience.

Tonalism.com: What is your definition of Tonalism?

Thomas Kegler: In an effort to avoid a formal definition, Tonalism to me is an embrace and celebration of the quiet moments in nature in an overall harmonious color “tone.” By using subdued values and a limited palette, a sense of visual poetry can be achieved. Often a veil of atmosphere is present at moments of transition in nature due to temperature and humidity changes, especially at daybreak and twilight or after a storm. These temporal moments I find more fascinating than say the “static” periods of mid-day.

Tonalism.com: What has been the story of your journey as an artist?

Thomas Kegler: That's a very long answer. I'll try and give you the abbreviated version. I grew up in a house with 8 siblings where art and creativity were encouraged and nurtured. Most kids have fond memories of sports … my recollections are of running around in the woods catching salamanders and making art at the kitchen table. In high school, I was drawn to and enthralled with quality realism works. The Wyeth lineage filled my imagination and wonder not only of the subject matter, but also the prolific skills. Winslow Homer's works connected with my love of trodding woods and stream... hunting and fishing. The painters of the Hudson River School (Cole, Church, Inness, etc.) with their spiritual sensibilities infused in their work also had a profound impact on me. Local artists (Western New York) Thomas Aquinas Daly and Bruce Kurland were important mentors in my early endeavors and I am forever indebted to them.

Early on, I attempted to emulate a lot of what I saw and experienced – often wildlife and nature scenes. My high school did not have art classes, yet I was inspired by the works of my older siblings. I also grew up helping out at my father's mom-and-pop hunting and fishing store where I taught fly fishing and fly tying. I was involved in scouting in my teens which further nurtured my interests in the outdoors.

In college I started as a fine art major, but then promptly changed my major to graphic design in an attempt to secure a more stable future income while still using my creative spirit in my work. All the training in color theory, composition, and marketing has in the end made me a better artist. Also, my experience in the design field instilled a work ethic that did not rely on “waiting to be inspired”, but encouraged finding inspiration in everything. After several years as a designer, I quit and worked in Alaska for two summers as a fly fishing guide in the outback. This planted the seed for pursuing a vocation in art education. I have been teaching public high school art for over 20 years now and feel very fortunate to love what I do. During this journey, I was always painting (my first love), but as I was never formally trained, nor really knew where to go to learn traditional oil painting. Thus, I reached a low plateau where my skills never came close to my aesthetic awareness.

In my mid thirties, I was involved in an accident with a chainsaw resulting in a severe laceration to my right (drawing) arm. I am left with permanent nerve damage to the arm/hand. Oddly the accident was the best thing (artistically speaking) that ever happened to me. The accident ignited a fire in me to truly learn to paint during the recovery time. I obtained numerous instructional and methodological books on traditional approaches to academic drawing and painting... most over 100 yrs old. The knowledge obtained through these readings and observations quickly gave me a voice and proficiency in oil paint. Soon thereafter I was juried into the Hudson River Fellowship. The timing could not have been better as I could now intensely put to use what I had learned in my research.

With mileage comes prolifically. In other words not all my paintings were successful , but I was learning quickly through the mistakes. Before I knew it I went from painting maybe a dozen paintings a year to 80+. Soon I was fortunate to secure representation in several renowned galleries. My wife passed away in 2017 from cancer. This journey has foraged a spiritual bond with her, and directed a consecration of my life and work to our Lord. My work has taken on a deeper more intimate sensibility thereafter. I have found that the most difficult trials in life enriches you when you succumb to faith and hope.

I am blest to be able to have a full time (fulfilling) teaching career, a full time painting passion, and am raising two wonderful children. My path has not been straight or smooth, but it has been interesting and enriching... providing me with many tools and skills that I am able to bring into the studio every day.

Tonalism.com: What are the main objectives of your current approach?

Thomas Kegler: In short, to humbly attempt to share God's creation through the work of my hands and invite the viewer to engage, relate, and approach empathy. I hope people will find an emotional connection that points their thoughts upwards.

Tonalism.com: What was the actual process or series of events that led you to paint as you do now?

Thomas Kegler: My process is an accumulation of reading, gleaning, conversations with like-minded artists, and a great deal of discarded paintings. Prayer is a significant part of my process as I consider my works as visual devotionals... echoing the sentiments of many of the Hudson River School painters. I look at my process as ever-evolving. That is the beauty of art making... you never acquire the carrot, but it is always there in front of you. The more you learn(and achieve aesthetic sensibility/discernment along with technical skills) the harder it becomes. I always yearn to do better.

By far the most influential event in my art career was my participation in the Hudson River Fellowship (Founded by Jacob Collins). We drew and painted en plein air 7 days a week for 4 weeks. Jacob brought in botanists, geologists, meteorologists, and physics to augment our field work. The knowledge we gained in those 4 short weeks was immeasurable. The hands-on observational studies and camaraderie of like-minded artists, along from the scientific speaker /professionals of the natural world catapulted my own understanding, technical skills and ultimately deepened my love of the landscape genre.

Tonalism.com: Please describe a little bit of your painting process.

Thomas Kegler: This is a tough question to answer as every image is its own unique challenge... requiring its own unique approach to achieve the end result. Having acquired (and continuing to acquire) some skills and techniques, I let the painting dictate the best approach/process. This process evolves on the canvas in a very organic manner after the underpainting has established a strong composition. I do quite a bit of plein air drawing and painting and these studies serve as invaluable references for my larger more in-depth studio works. These slow observational studies over the past 15 years have helped expand my knowledge of botany, meteorology, geology, physics, color, etc. and thus inform my studio works. This allows me to often simply “invent” landscapes based on what I've observed and more importantly what I felt from my past experiences. In the end, most of my major studio paintings are compositions derived from actual past experiences. I just finished a piece using a few field sketches and notes that was inspired by a dramatic encounter over 10 years ago. I had no field sketches or photographs from the view... only a profound recollection. I finally felt I had acquired the understanding and techniques to be able to pull it off.

Having said all that, here is a general approach I often use:

Explore compositions via thumbnail sketches and “notans” (tonal mass studies) this is arguably the most important step. If you start with a disjointed composition, it’s hard to keep it together throughout the process.
Prepare the surface – imprimatura (tonal ground)
Sometimes I will do an umber grisaille, and sometimes I will do a b/w grisaille underpainting
At this point I often do a muted and light color overpainting layer to establish the general local colors
I then build up color layers via glazing and scumbling... often as many as 15 or 20 layers, but typically only about 6. Sometimes I will even sand off top layers to reveal some under painting... creating a really interesting texture and color play through this subtractive method.
I do no have a go-to color palette selection... again each painting dictates the color selection. But I attempt to limit the palette to 4 or 5 colors max. I have a warm and cool version of each color. I like to explore harmonies of complimentary juxtaposition.
The final layer is often adding the implication a few refined details in select areas that I wish to the viewer to ruminate in.

*Plein air painting studies as a references larger more in-depth studio works*

Tonalism.com: Can you describe how you decide on a composition?

Thomas Kegler: Thumbnail sketches and “Notans” are my first marks. Once I have an abstraction that has some merit, I often establish a full-size compositional armature which provides (the artist with) a harmonic balance. The leading lines and intersections are locations to consider putting areas of interest in your work that will immediately give pleasing relationships and placements. Over time, I have found that the grid becomes engrained in one's sensibilities and you can forego the formal use of an armature. As in music, the performance becomes more fluid, confident and less mechanical over time once the rudiments have become familiar.

Tonalism.com: Could you name any specific influences on your work?

Thomas Kegler: The list of influences is endless. When I first started out I was greatly influenced (and will forever be) by great past works (the Hudson River School greats, Russian impressionists, Australian impressionists) and many contemporaries (Jacob Collins and his tutelage, Ted Minoff, James Gurney, Don Demers, Joseph McGurl just to name a small few).

As far as books... I have read many and am always obtaining new ones. One I highly recommend is “Glazing” by Michael Wilcox. It is a very in depth book on the process of oil painting and glazing. I learned as great deal from it and implement much of the processes in my own work.

This journey of art making has in some ways made me hyper-aware of and always pursuing beauty. I try and be open to influences from many sources... from sights driving down the road, to transcending music, to the best craftsman in any media. I appreciate when love is infused in craftsmanship... and yes you can always tell if you look with a discerning eye.

Tonalism.com: Any advice for the aspiring painters / tonalists?

Thomas Kegler: There are no shortcuts. It takes a lot of mileage to go from experimenting, to familiarity, to proficiency, to poetry. Don't be afraid to make a lot of mistakes, and always learn from them... they are your best teacher. Remember that most compositions are improved by elimination, not by addition. Draw a lot, and when you are worn out from drawing, draw some more... it is a critical, but often neglected skill for painters. Read a lot, take workshops, and do master copies. Slow down and really observe... not just with a sharp intense focus, but also with squinted eyes and blurred vision.

Tonalism.com: Saving the big question for last: What is art’s purpose in the world?

Thomas Kegler: In my humble opinion, art should elevate the soul of the viewer... it should awaken, transcend, and heighten society in its pursuit of truth and beauty.

I do have two instructional videos available, and I am excited to announce the release of my first book, “The Spirit and the Brush, Painting Devotionals by Thomas Kegler”. They are all available on my web site at www.thomaskegler.com. I also have an upcoming solo show at Meibohm Fine Art in East Aurora.

Thomas Kegler

Thomas Kegler invites us to engage, relate and find an emotional connection with nature’s transitional moments that points us upwards.

Denys Gorodnychyi

Luke Tucker