Anton Krajnc's Studio in Arizona

THE STUDIO IN ARIZONA

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La Cholla Airpark lies to the NW of Tucson, Arizona, near the Tortolita Mountains,
in an amazingly colorful cactus desert, home to quite an assortment of wild critters.
An occasional rattlesnake adds to the excitement of creative life here.

Anton a look at works in progress

"AGAVE"

Oil on Canvas, 50cm x 200cm, 1994

The agave as art

In Arizona, they call it the Century Plant.
She does not quite reach that age, but
blooms only once, after many years,
in a great big burst of energy..

Krajnc has captured four stages
in her life's cycle - like portraits -
in a tall, narrow painting, framed
by the rungs of an Indian ladder.
A living ladder to heaven.

Quite suddenly, one spring,
the stem shoots up, (it is a mystery,
why that particular moment is chosen),
growing about a foot or more every day,
eventually crowned by a large umbrella
of blossoms: open bar for bees,
birds and butterflies.

The Agave uses upall her strength
stored in the large fleshy leaves, to bring forth
that one extraordinary and spectacular bloom.
But it is not the end: in a circle, new little plants
grow up from the roots, seem to dance around
the dying motherplant.
Life goes on.
The dry stem stands like a tall mast for a long time still,
beloved home of nesting ladderback woodpeckers
and generally excellent look-out post...

"ARIZONA"

Oil on canvas, 130cm x 155cm, 1994

Arizona. Strange world for a European, who set out to explore and conquer by painting its myriad facets: landscapes, like nowhere else, firy sunsets, towering saguaros and their inhabitants. Much light, and more sky. Every spring, blossoms exploding in the colors of Mexico: purple, pink, bright yellow and glowing orange...

Arizona. Maybe the most intriguing of all US states, where scientists using the newest instruments watch stars and planets from Kitt Peak Observatory; where "real" Indians still tend sheep in Monument Valley and their women (no longer politically correctly called "squaws"!) weave the wool on looms set out in the open, re-creating patterns their great-grandmothers invented; where one can land a small plane on a really amazing selection of private airstrips, and where the most lightning flashes have been counted in one hour during a summer thunderstorm. Tucson has the highest number of bookstores per capita and not far from there, "newspaper rock", the oldest rock writings of North America.

Past and present meet in Arizona in a grandiose setting,
which challenges the artist again and again...

... and inspires him to translate the sunflowers of his homeland
into bold shapes and strong colors, as in this new work

SUN AND SKY

Oil/canvas, work in progress, 1998

NEW: CERAMIC SCULPTURES

Anton working on sculptures in his studio

The new ceramic creations:
spheres, vessels and sculptures of carved clay,
twice fired, in the artist's indoor (electric) and outdoor (woodfire) kilns,
using new and traditional Native American methods,
and raku technology.

HOME

BACK TO THE WELCOME MAT

BACK TO the Small Planes of LA CHOLLA AIRPARK

We started to count our visitors on February 11, 1997
but Bravenet has disappeared and I'm sad to say my proud numbers have gone with it...

Last modified: April 21, 2012
Page prepared by Dagmar

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All artwork and text information contained on these pages is original, and is protected by copyright and trademark laws. For questions or information regarding the use or licensing of text, artwork or other contents, please contact the artist Anton Krajnc.