GUEST ARTIST: WILLIAM KENDALL

William Kendall is one of the finest abstract artists I know and his mentoring, and that of his talented wife Jeanne, has guided me as I walk my own road of abstract expressionism.  It is an honor for me to offer this interview with him, and to share some of his paintings .

                                                         
                                                         ENTER THE GARDEN
                                                                              by
                                                                 William Kendall
                                                                  acrylic painting
                                                                    70" xx 94"



          William Kendall says that he has always been an abstract expressionist: he explains;

             "I think in terms of abstraction.  The subject of my paintings is really the paint
              itself.  I am totally involved in what can be done on the canvas by the manipulation
              of paint.  I'm dealing with the power of color, the richness of texture created by
              the complicated layering of impasto, stumbles and glazes.  I try to keep pushing
              the paint - to make things happen in spontaneous ways:  I use combinations I've
              never used before, to see if they can function as a whole.  Each time I begin
             painting, I am curious myself, to see what will happen and it is always a surprise."

                                                                     

                                                     
                                                        SAPHORA JAPONICA
                                                                         by
                                                               William Kendall
                                                          acrylic painting on panels
                                                                    78' x 120"





                                     Many people paint for enjoyment and relaxation-

which is great for them, but for me painting is one of the most difficult things to accomplish;

as John Graham (artist critic and theorist) once said; ' starting a painting is starting an argument

in terms of canvas and paint.' It seems I'm always in the middle of an argument.

                                        

THE RISING SUN

by

William Kendall

acrylic painting on panels.

78" x 120"

William Kendall has been a professor of Art for over thirty years;

he holds an M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin

at Madison. He resides in Westport, MA.