"Artist and teacher for almost 50 years, Karl Umlauf (b. 1939) is a nationally and internationally recognized artist and a Texas Legend. Karl’s artwork is found in over 40 museums and public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, N.Y., the Modern Museum of Art, New York City, N.Y. and the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX."
"Storm Over The Davis Mountains", 1960
courtesy of David Dike Fine Art
Karl Umlauf is an incredibly prolific respected artist, who had a really big influence on me and the direction I chose to take in life, creatively. Karl happened to be the Artist in Residence at Baylor University, where I received my bachelor of fine arts. My concentration was in studio arts/painting, where I studied directly under his guidance. What a happy time in my life. To create all day and put your emotions directly into a tangible object! I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't a little immature and my social life really competed with my work, but at the moment when I was actually building my canvases and mixing my paint and pulling my hair out in frustration, I was truly happy. One piece of advice he gave me, that I remember most and still rely on, is that creativity takes work. Sometimes it doesn't just come to you. I would complain because there were many days where i would just sit there and stare at a canvas and say "i have nothing. no direction, no ideas, i can't do anything today." And Karl would tell me that being an artist is like any other job, there are days where you make yourself do it. You can't fall back on when you "feel like it", you must always go forward and produce. He was right. It's like going to the gym. Getting there is REALLY HARD. But once your in the middle of your workout, it clicks and feels natural and you are glad you persevered. (ok, well sometimes)
N[ationala] Burial, 1992
Charcoal on paper
This is the series Karl was working on while I studied under him. They were large and when you saw them together in a gallery, there was an instant mood in the room. You could stand in front of each one for quite a long time and the longer you looked, the more you saw. What I think makes a great artist, is one that makes you think, and one that promotes dialogue. When you look at this piece, you certainly ask yourself, "what does it mean"? "What did he mean?" "What was he trying to tell us, what is the story?" Karl is a man of nature I think, he appreciates the earth and the space around him as well as beneath him. That is what I think it means to me. Nature and Industry combined. I don't know if I'm even close, but that's the great thing about art: it's subjective. It can mean something different to everybody.
Intake, 1998
Aluminum, enamel, steel and woodThis series was very 3 dimensional, and reminded me of Louise Nevelson's work, whom I started following when I was about 13. It's all about surface, texture, magnitude, depth....
Crucible, 1996
Charcoal on Paper
"For four decades I have produced visual surface relationships. When a literal reference occurs, it isn't always intended, but happens as a result of many years of being absorbed with the land and objects of man's labor. If the work appears to have intrigue, yet a personal iconography, and if it provides a distinct physical presence, then I feel I have succeeded in establishing my visual signature."
all images are property of the artist
