Karl Blunck – First Prize Watercolorist 6

The celebration of Karl W. Blunck’s award winning painting was a great success with nearly 100 people from Oakland and Franklin Lakes in attendance to wish Karl congratulations; it couldn’t have been any nicer. Rose Burik, the Senior Center Director, put together an event which included an art show of Karl’s work as well as the other members of the Senior Center’s Painting Class.

Coffee and two beautiful cakes, one for Karl and one for his mentor and teacher Pam Leggate, offered the crowd a midday delight as they listened to speeches by Rose, Pam and Karl. There were two additional surprises as Bergen County sent Special Events Coordinator Keisha McLean to honor Karl and invite him to a special dinner for Seniors who have gone above and beyond in adding value to our county. Following this announcement, Councilwomen, Karen Marcalus and Betsy Stagg honored Karl with a special plaque of appreciation signed by Mayor Szabo.

If you haven’t met Karl Blunck you should know that he is a charmer, filled with grace and humor. He was humble in his acceptance of these awards, and thankful to all that had helped get him to where he is today. The Oakland Guys and Gals performed and one of the songs brought tears to Karl’s eyes – Edelweiss. It was a beautiful rendition of the song made famous in America through The Sound of Music. Following the applause, all 100 people sang For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow. And it is true. Karl Blunck is a jolly good fellow and a jewel for the Oakland community.

Please view Karl’s paintings and the other senior artists work in the Art Show in the Arts&More section of The Oakland Journal. Most of the paintings are available for purchase.

Karl Blunk Profiled

Karl Blunck, of Oakland, NJ, didn’t begin painting until after he had a massive heart attack at the age of 57. He was forced into retirement and he tells us he “had nothing to do”, so he decided to take some painting classes. Before then he had “never had a brush in hand”. He was a cabinet maker and set builder for theaters in New York City so he did occasionally draw designs while working, but other than that he was embarking on a completely new journey. All of this makes the recent awards that Mr. Blunck has won even that much more impressive. The State of New Jersey awarded Karl’s painting Old Friends First Prize in watercolor in the Non-Professional Seniors category, and the Bergen County Senior Show in New Milford recently gave Karl First Prize in watercolors. Karl joked “At least in the Bergen County show I received $50, for the state show I only received a ribbon.”

Karl’s technique begins with his travels. When traveling he takes “picture after picture after picture”. He prefers water scenes and his favorite spot for inspiration is Nice. “Cote d Azur has the best water scenes and has a light that is like no other light.” When asked if he painted during his travels he explained the difficulties with that saying, “Mosquitos will come , rain will come and shadows will dance around with the sun”.

We asked Karl’s teacher, Pam Leggate, the Oakland Senior Center’s Art Director, to explain a little about his work: “He is involved in every step of creating a painting. Karl takes his own photographs in preparation. That often means traveling to find the right composition. He has based many paintings on his travels to Nice (France), Vermont, New Jersey, and even scenic Oakland. Karl glazes layers of paint resulting in very rich colors. He is very critical of his work, but if he is happy with a painting Kart mats and frames the painting himself. I think Karl is fascinated with the way light reflects off water and glass. There is always a luminous quality to whatever he paints.” Karl has named his favorite watercolorist and greatest influence Pam Leggate. Not only because she is a great painter, but because “she is a great teacher, she has a degree in Art Education”. Karl has taken classes with known artists such as Soltan Scabo and Frank Webb, but feels he owes most to Pam Leggate. “She can always tell me how I can improve my paintings.”

Finally when asked where his talent came from he related that there aren’t any artists that he is aware of in his family and that anyway “talent is 99% perspiration and 1% aspiration. Karl will have his first solo show at the Presbyterian Church in Franklin Lakes this December and it will include 80 original paintings.

The Senior Citizen Center will be hosting a celebration honoring Karl Blunck and Pam Leggate on Tuesday, October 7th 2008 at 10AM. The Oakland Guys and Gals will perform and refreshments will be served. For more information please call Rose Marie Burik at 201.405.7731.

You can view more of Karl Blunck’s as well as other Oakland Senior’s art work in The Art Show.