Ken Young, The Casual Observer, oil on canvas 16″x20″ 2013
(HILLSDALE, N.Y.) – There will be an opening reception for The Power of Place, an exhibition featuring oil paintings of contemporary regional scenes by Ken Young and Jeffrey L. Neumann, at Neumann Fine Art on Saturday, July 6, 2013, from 5 to 8 pm. The two-man exhibition runs through September 2 and features two painters with different styles but a commonality in depicting scenes which evoke a strong sense of place.
Both Young and Neumann have been working in oils since their high school days in the early 1970s, and both painters share a fascination with rendering the textures and light and shadow found in nature and in our built environment.
Ken Young, who was born in Charleston, S.C., and grew up in Hudson, N.Y., will be showing a series of street scenes of Hudson painted between 2010 and 2013. Although he was extremely familiar with the small upstate New York city, it was not until fairly recently that he was inspired to paint his hometown by a moment of seeing Warren Street through his rain-soaked windshield. This led to his deep exploration of the urban landscape with the series of paintings featured in this show.
“I see beauty everywhere. Even in what some might consider commonplace and ordinary. Oftentimes it is fleeting and momentary. I take great pleasure in capturing and preserving it with brushes and paint so that I … and others can know that amidst the suffering and uncertainty there is goodness, peace and harmony” says Young, reflecting on his spiritual approach to art.
Jeffrey L. Neumann, Collins Diner, oil on canvas 24″x36″ 2013
Jeffrey L. Neumann will be exhibiting some new work and some older pieces in his ongoing pursuit of the rapidly disappearing commercial landscape of the 20th century. Neumann says, “My work is partly about preservation of an American vernacular landscape. I am painting vestiges of the American Dream, but I am interested in the dual nature of our American experience. “
Neumann Fine Art is located at 65 Cold Water St., Hillsdale, N.Y. Gallery hours are Thursday – Sunday 11 – 4. For more information visit Neumann Fine Art or call 413.246.5776