Jazz Crawl signature promotional painting
The Plymouth Arts Center will hold a live auction of this year’s signature Jazz Crawl art piece, “Blue Jazz,” at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, during the Jazz Crawl Fundraiser.
The painting was created and donated by artist Dale Knaak especially for the seventh annual Cheese Capital Jazz Crawl for the Arts.
“Blue Jazz” is a 36-by-36-inch original acrylic on canvas and is valued at $1,700. It is done in a loose expressionist, impasto style/ technique.
Richard Biemann photographed the painting for Knaak. “Blue Jazz” is represented on the 2010 Jazz Crawl promotional pieces, i.e. posters, flyers, maps, and T-shirts. Signed and numbered Keepsake posters will be for sale the evening of the Crawl.
Auctioneer Bill Cain is volunteering his time to conduct the auction in the Plymouth Arts Center’s outdoor plaza. The painting will be on display the week of Aug. 9 or bidders may come early the evening of the Jazz Crawl to get a glimpse of this wonderful painting and to take part in the other festivities.
Artist Knaak was born in Sheboygan and then moved to Milwaukee, where he received the basis of his art training. After obtaining a degree in commercial art, he studied painting and drawing for five years with the late James Prohl of Atelier Prohl.
Knaak is a realist painter creating artwork from his Sheboygan studio. He prefers to paint what he knows and experiences on a personal level. His works are a product of inspiration, exposing what is unique and beautiful from what is often perceived as ordinary or mundane.
Working in either oil or acrylic paints has afforded him a level of confidence in both mediums. Without concentrating on one genre or subject matter, he depicts images from the times we live in. Taking pleasure from reinventing color and composition to suit his personal preference and not adhering too closely to “the rules” provides room for experiments, interpretation and new discoveries.
Knaak has work in collections for the American Family Insurance Corporate Headquarters, Bank First National, University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospitals and Clinics, Johnsonville Sausage World Headquarters, Blue Harbor Resort and Hotel, McDonald’s Corp. and private collections. He was also commissioned by the Plymouth Downtown Revitalization Committee and the Mural Sub-committee to paint downtown Plymouth’s first public mural, a rendition of “Interurban Street Car #26.”
Currently, he maintains a full-time art studio in the EBCO Artworks building in Sheboygan, where he divides his time between personal painting, commissioned works, and commercial mural projects.
