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arts & culture
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KANSAN.COM | MONDAY, MARCH 21, 2016
Aries ( March 21-April 19 )
You're exceptionally clever with words over the next few weeks, with Mercury in your sign. Creative ideas abound. Take notes for later. Don't take on more than you can do by the devilline.
Taurus ( April 20-May 20)
ART IN FOCUS
Postpone an important decision until you're sure. For the next three weeks, with Mercury in Aries, finish up old business. Review what worked and didn't, and update plans. Include intuition and unspoken clues.
Gemini ( May 21-June 20 )
Brandon Keenan uses printmaking to transform memories into artwork
Participate with an energetic team over the next three weeks, with Mercury in Aries. The odds of breakdown are high today ... slow down and avoid mistakes. Avoid arguments. Dance gracefully to avoid stepping on anyone.
Cancer ( June 21-July 22)
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)
Play by the rules, and wait for favorable conditions. Travel beckons over the next three weeks, with Mercury in Aries.
Make long-distance connections. Study and research are favored. Observe the running game
Virgo ( Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
Don't waste effort. Work carefully so you won't have to do it over. It's easier to organize shared finances over the next few weeks, with Mercury in Aries. Determine how much you can spend.
Libra ( Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Strengthen networks and community ties. Partnership makes the difference. The competition heats up over the next few weeks, with Mercury in Aries. In a potential clash with authority, use your own good sense.
Scorpio ( Oct. 23-Nov.
21)
Promote your work. Postpone a potential argument by sidestepping conflicting goals. Over the next three, weeks with Mercury in Aries, find ways to work smarter Increase organization. Public demands take priority. Speak confidently.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-
Dec. 21)
Connect with a distant loved one. Express your affection and deepest feelings. Romantic communication flowers over the next three weeks, with Mercury in Aries. Outdoor recreation is in the realm of possibility. Gourmet dining is on
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Aquarius ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
Take on a home renovation project over the next three weeks, with Mercury in Aries. Resist the temptation to splurge or gamble. Think of someone who needs you. Avoid misunderstandings carefully. Set
New opportunities arise. Wait overnight to sign. Overcome a temporary weakness. Learn voraciously over the next three weeks, with Mercury in Aries. You're especially creative and words flow with ease. Write,
Pisces ( Feb. 19-March 20 )
record and report.
Changes outside stir things up at home. Unexpected circumstances require adaptation. Check for errors. For nearly three weeks, with Mercury in Aries, develop new income sources. Track finances for growth. Make profitable connections.
connections.
MINSEON KIM
@adropofsunny
For many students, studying abroad is a chance to experience another country while still completing classes. While that remained true for Brandon Keenan, he also used his experience abroad this past summer to inspire his artwork back home.
At the same time, Keenan started to post his works on his Instagram account. Using the photos he took while traveling in Europe, he painted on top of the printed out photo and did inkjet transfer, a form of printmaking, to create his prints. These artworks have been displayed at Mana Bar, located at 1111 Massachusetts St., since Feb.26.
"A lot of what I have been interested in recently is memories and how we perceive them," Keenan said. "I was thinking about the really bright colors on the buildings, how everything seems stacked on top of each other and really chaotic."
During his trip abroad, Keenan, a senior from Lenexa studying art and art history, visited three different European cities including Venice, where he took photos that inspired his own artwork.
"I wanted to make them real and tie in the memory and experience of why [it] was that important enough to post, like why was that important enough to document," Keenan said.
Keenan began to seriously consider going to art school after taking a photography class in high school. The first course Keenan took at the University was a lithography class, which quickly became his favorite type of printmaking and led him to take more courses. He said he likes how he can build up his own image layer by layer with printmaking.
In addition, Keenan said the weather has a huge affect on printmaking, which makes it difficult to adjust. As he reprints the image in different times of the year, the conditions of the image change depending on the humidity and temperature.
"It's really fickle but
once you get everything set up right, it goes really, really well." Keenan said.
"You know, you don't have to speak French to get Picasso; you don't have to speak Italian to see Da Vinci and get it," Keenan said.
Madison Tubbs, a sophomore from Colby, went on the study abroad trip to Europe last summer with Keenan and got to know him as a "lyrical, determined and experimental" artist.
"It's topical and always tells a great narrative," Tubbs said. "Brandon's prints are really beautiful because he always has a personal connection or purpose for the work that he is making."
"With a painting, you're just painting and eventually you're done," Keenan said. "Whereas with printing, making you kind of have to plan out your image and there's usually something that goes into making the thing that holds your image, and then you have to print it."
Keenan said what draws him more to printmaking than painting or drawing is the process of putting it all together that allows him to make multiples.
While most of Keenan's current works have been influenced by his time in Europe, he also likes to be creative with other types of prints and maps. The first print Keenan worked on was a portrait of Nick Offerman wearing cornrows in a scene from "Parks and Recreation."
This summer, Keenan and other art students will travel to Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan for study abroad to experience woodblock printing and papermaking. They will be able to visit nationally-known artist residencies that have been making paper for more than 150 years in Japan. Keenan said he hopes to gain hands on experience with traditional printmaking.
For Keenan, art is a language that everyone can share. He said he thinks it allows him to express himself and communicate nonverbally by using images.
- Edited by Shane Jackson
Brandon Keenan, a senior studying art with an emphasis in printmaking, works on a print. Last summer, Keenan studied abroad, which has made a big impact on his work. Recently, Mana Bar on Massachusetts Street featured his prints.
Raxter Schanze/KANSAN
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