Marley Kaul, Bemidji State art professor, dies at 82

When artist Marley Kaul wasn't in his garden, he was behind the easel, painting. But sometimes art and life would collide on the philosophical level.

"He would sometimes talk to me about a story of a Zen monk who would walk by a flower but he wouldn't stoop down to smell the bloom — he would only take the aroma if it came to him," said his son, Steve Kaul. "He had a painting called 'A Story About a Zen Monk,' inspired by that."

The former head of the art department at Bemidji State University, where he taught for 30 years until retiring in 1997, spent most of his adult life in Minnesota, intrigued by its landscape. Growing up on a farm near Good Thunder, a small town in southern Minnesota, Kaul learned to work the land, to understand the geometry of the fields, the way the clouds moved, and the animals that roamed.

"He sketched as a high school student, even though they didn't have an art class, and at one point one of his teachers pulled him aside and told him, 'You should go to college,' " said Steve Kaul.

He went on to excel at art, in addition to baseball and basketball, attending Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato before transferring to Mankato State's art program.

The beloved professor and popular regional artist died Aug. 1 in Bemidji. He was 82.

In his paintings, abstracted natural forms integrate with finely drawn patterns; viewers may spot a hawk, slices of watermelon and bowls of strawberries, a quiet field or forest in winter. Kaul's use of vivid colors mixed with his delight in nature brought new life to these tranquil moments.

In 1971, he received his MFA from the University of Oregon, where his work transformed to more geometric abstraction, and he became influenced by Buddhist thought, Zen and meditation. He worked frequently with egg tempera, layering colors to make them pop out.

Supporting his students was always a main concern, said his son. "He gave them everything he had when he was teaching, and they really responded to that," he said. "Years later they came back and thanked him."

Although he always represented himself, Kaul did have stints working with galleries in Minneapolis. He was with Peter M. David Gallery from 1979-1991, and Groveland Gallery from 1995-1998. His work is in numerous collections, including those of the Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, the North Dakota Museum of Art and the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis.

He also published three books. "Letters to Isabella," a book to his granddaughter that pairs written letters plus paintings and "We Sit" and "For Now," collaborations with poet Taiju Geri Wilimek, an ordained Buddhist monk (Taiju is her given Buddhist name). For these collaborations, he painted at the same time as she wrote.

"She experienced some health issues and he consoled her, helped her through her time, and she did the same for him, so they had a wonderful relationship," Steve Kaul said. "They would get together and just talk, and these talks [made them] realize they should do something together."

In addition to his son, Kaul is survived by his wife of 58 years, Sandra Kaul; a daughter, Allison, of Seattle; a brother, Willis Kaul, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Services have been held.