Kennan Loesch
Kennan Loesch outside Necessity Coffee, Encinitas. Photo by Summer Kellogg
Art often imitates life. And here, with sweeping ocean views, stunning lagoons and endless blue sky, it’s hard not to make a landscape apparently. For all the artists who do landscapes and do them well, sorry but we’ve had enough. So it was so a fucking joy when Irene Pyun, head of the Encinitas 101 Mainstreet, sent an email presenting Kennan Loesch’s new and very original work.
Full of energy outside Necessity Coffee.
Spotted her art show poster outside Flashbacks in Encinitas.
When I got up close and personal with her work I recalled a childhood nostalgia of notebook or plastic binder doodles, faces and design. It’s bursting with hungry imagination and untapped ideas. That bold type youth ready to spring forward and do what they feel vs what they’re told. We NEED original thinkers (and frankly doers) right meow and we can look no further than right in our very own town apparently.
Kennan herself is quietly outgoing. Meaning her voice is mild and birdsong but her presence and whip smart intellect is respectfully commanding. I couldn’t stop talking to her (and giggling for that matter). Our conversation rivered through fashion, politics, social structure, cost of living here, a boyfriend, art technique and how comfortable it is to draw laying on the floor vs on a easel. She floats through conversations with anyone from 4 years old to 80 as if she’s lived a full life already and can literally talk or listen about anything. A best friend in an instant kind of feeling being around her.
Holding court at the front desk of the E 101 she’s the first smiling face you’ll see and most likely she’s dressed to the 9s. And by dressed I mean she’s a walking art canvas. I’d call her style eccentric but that’s relative to location. IN New York or London she’d be photographed by street fashion photogs everywhere. Her naturally individual self-style is a cool edgy breeze on our sunny ocean bikini clad and yoga wear streets and I’m so excited to promote her upcoming, FIRST SHOW, at the Encinitas 101 Mainstreet headquarters.
Walking the D Street Stairs.
Summer: Where did this art come from and why did you start making it? Tell us in your own words
Kennan:In 2021 I had a lot of free time. I was in college during peak Covid and couldn’t go outside. I had been drawing as a hobby since I was a kid and had experimented with lots of different styles. At the time I was mostly still drawing people and clothing. One day (in a class) we had to do a stippling project, which is basically drawing shapes with a bunch of tiny dots. It took hours and I remember my roommates hated this assignment, but I realized I loved it. I was up for hours just adding shading to my shapes with layers of dots. I think from there I started incorporating that style into my art. One day I was watching tv (americas next top model) and started drawing this face, it turned into a huge page of squiggles, eyes, and faces. I don’t really remember but I just kept drawing similar things. Weeks went on and I had the idea to try out black paper and that white gel pen I had. I went to dollar tree, bought a huge poster board and went to town. The next few months I kept drawing the same thing and that’s how I found my style. It’s 5 years later and I still love my style and can’t wait to see how it continues to evolve.
Summer: It's so nice to see this work featured in Encinitas. The work itself is darker in tone and emotionally than most of the typical art you see here. It's kind of refreshing to take a break from beach landscapes lol. How do you feel about putting something out so different?
Kennan: I was really nervous at first. It took a while for me to warm up to the idea of people seeing my art in general, and now putting it out there in a space that has a typical style is nerve wracking. I’ve always cared a lot about the opinions of others, and was nervous to receive criticism, but I realized that it shouldn’t matter. I love my art and it’s a part of me, so I shouldn’t hold back from sharing it with the community. I hope to inspire other people to put themselves out there and I’d love to see more variety and styles featured in Encinitas.
Summer: What does the work physically feel like to you? How do you know when a piece is done?
Kennan: It depends on my mood, sometimes I draw when I’m stressed, when I’m sad, when I’m bored, need to recharge, or just when inspiration strikes and I’m in the mood to create. But when I’m drawing I’m always happy, at peace, and it’s like my brain shuts off. The repetitiveness may seem tedious to some but to me it’s very calming. It’s interesting to see how my emotions affect the piece. Looking back at some of my pieces you may be able to pick up on certain emotions. I hadn’t really noticed before, but looking at all my work on a wall next to each other you can absolutely pick up on similarities and differences and see how it evolved over the years. Even for me it is hard to know when it’s done. I went back and forth on a few pieces while preparing for this show, debating whether to add more. The negative space in my work does play a huge role and I like to leave a lot open. I think the lakes of darkness really leave an impact and it’s important that some remain to keep that balance.
Summer: After having met now and putting together a shoot with you I realize your art matches your fashion sense. Is that on purpose?
Kennan: I may not verbally like to express myself but it definitely comes out in other ways, through art and through my clothes. Art was my favorite subject in elementary school, and my mom worked as a personal stylist and shopper when I was young, so I definitely got my love of fashion (and shopping) from her. One of my favorite activities is playing in my own closet and putting outfits together. I think over the years my style has evolved and so has my art and they may be interconnected subconsciously. My favorite color to wear is black, so I can definitely see the connection between my art and my closet.
In front of her freshly hung show at the E101 Mainstreet Office.
Summer: I also want to make note that the work isn't "dark" but just tonally dark. I get a sense of momentum and busy in the work. I know you said you want people to walk away with their own feelings and interpretation and I wanted to share that.
Kennan: Yes that makes sense!! I agree it is tonally dark. I can talk more about if you want but the face or “devil” isn’t meant to be THE devil haha. I named him Ruti and it means guardian or friend. Let me elaborate. My work may appear dark to some, and it is open to interpretation, but I see the face I draw as a friend. I drew him for years and he is slightly different each time. Sometimes with horns, sometimes not, sometimes filled in with dots, sometimes with a halo. I received a comment on Instagram that he was “ strangely familiar and almost ancient looking”. I agreed with that and started researching. The comment made me think and I realized he reminded me a bit of a sphinx. I also realized he needed a name. I started researching sphinx names and Egyptian names and came across Ruti. In Egyptian mythology Ruti was an ancient Egyptian lion god, who would stand and protect the horizon. It also means “friend” or “companion” in Hebrew. To me Ruti is a guardian and friend. It also means “a path” in Hindu, which I didn’t realize until after I named him, but it definitely fits into my art, as all the patterns create pathways and roads.
“Someone also recently described my work as haunting but not in a scary way, which I really liked and agreed with. She said it made her feel like she was looking at ancestral spirits and guardians. My art evokes as strange and haunting emotion but also brings peace and I think that’s exactly what I’m going for. “
I also named one of my pieces after one of my favorite movies After Hours (1985). I think that my work reflects the off-beat, surreal, and unsettling, but fun nature of the movie.
Summer: Just goes to show that color and light affect us all differently. That "standards" of what colors can "mean" are broken here. Part of why I think I love your work even more now. Excited for your show girl.
Kennan: Thank you!
Summer: And if the show isn’t exciting enough you and I are also doing a fashion challenge. 10 days of outfits leading up to your show.
Kennan: Kind of like a catwalk around town.
Summer: YES! And it leads right up to your show. Can’t wait to meet you out at all your work events and daily tasks. I know we’re doing the mixer tomorrow and classic car night Thursday yes?
Kennan: Yes. Can’t wait to come up with that one.
Summer: Also a speakeasy event that is about to open right? Like a friends and family? I feel like that’s a double outfit night. Here for it. The LOCALS Club will be featuring each outfit on the Instagram stories. Stay tuned for her first outfit today!
DAY ONE of 10 days of Kennan’s Closet
Kennan Loesch’s 10 days of Kennan fashion. Photo by Summer Kellogg.
Kennan Loesch wearing scissor earrings and Reservations Required Tee shirt. Photo by Summer Kellogg
Kennan’s first ever solo show is Thursday May 28th at 5:30pm at the Encinitas 101 Mainstreet Headquarters at 818 S. Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas, CA 92024 5:30pm. Wear your best self style.
