Pete Diedrich

"Tribute" Oil/Acrylic

The amount of time you have with a person does not always correlate to how that person will affect your life. I was a student of Kazu’s for one semester, but that was all it took to make a lasting impression.

The way Kazu explained his technique and thought process was a revelation to me. He wanted more than a simple reason to create an image, or to place something in that image, he wanted people to feel the reason. To have more than just an opinion on how the painting should look, but a strong desire for specific reasons. That mind set, that level of focus left me with a longing to strengthen the depth of my paintings. For the first time in a along time I wanted to add meaning to all the details in my work, a back story. No longer did I want to paint a tree or some rocks, but rather a specific tree with a history written on the bark and in the leaves. Rocks with features unique to this rock alone. A portrait of the landscape I have in my mind. This is the thought process he perfected and I’m still trying to tap into.

Thoughts and ideas are not worth much if you don’t have the technical ability to get them noticed. Kazu had technique like none other. The simple act of applying colored mud to a wood panel was such a complicated thing, but he made it seem so simple. As a student I tried to mimic him to learn what he did. I bought the same brushes, used the same paints and built my supports like his in attempts to learn his technique. Through all the preparations and executions, the one that struck me the most was the way he wet the paint. The excruciatingly simple act of throwing droplets of water on the palette in search of the perfect amount to add to the acrylic was mind blowing. This simple thing was the basis for changing my art. Detail in a painting is one thing, but this kind of detail in technique was impressive. This idea led me to rethink how I paint, from the colors I use to the surface I paint, the viscosity of the paint to the brushes I use. He put me on the path to discover what my specific reasons are to use the materials I use. A journey I am still on.

It is the simple act of adding water to his paint that led me to this tribute to Kazu. I remember the sunlight coming in the window and illuminating him while he was throwing water on the palette. He had different methods to create different sized droplets. In this painting I mimicked his way of making larger drops. I used my own hand for reference as an homage to Kazu footsteps I am walking in, and to also imply how I am separating myself and finding my own way. Kazu was a great acrylic painter where my preference is oil, but his teachings and thought process are indelibly inscribed in all that I do. Thank you Kazu.