"For me there are two sources of art: nature and the art of the past. The past is all-inclusive, from cave paintings to the thing produced yesterday by the artist around the corner. Nature is the most important, the initial source. Art based solely on other art, whether works of ancients or contemporaries, can become nothing beyond an echo, weak or strident however clever, stylish or accomplished. It is nature, with its unlimited varied form, structure and color that constitutes the vital living from which art must basically stem. nature for me does not mean only men, mountain streams, animals and alpine meadows (important as these are to me personally). Nature does not mean just 'subject matter.' Nature is total phenomena experienced by human beings. Seeing is the thing, seeing with both inner and outer eye, not separately but interrelated, inevitably and irrevocably, as everything in the total of nature is interrelated." -- Kenneth Callahan, 1959. This is the first comprehensive book to commemorate Kenneth Callahan's life and achievements. It will not only serve as an important complement to Callahan's paintings, but also shows us a new chapter in the art history of the Pacific Northwest. Kenneth Callahan's life spanned most of the twentieth century and made many contributions to the art of the Pacific Northwest and the nation. Although Callahan traveled widely, he is best known as part of the celebrated "Northwest School," with artists Guy Anderson, Morris Graves, and Mark Tobey. In addition to his well-known paintings of the Pacific Northwest, Callahan was an art critic, taught art at many American institutions, and served as curator of painting at the Seattle Art Museum.