Strafford News

The Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth issued the following announcement on March 25.

DISCLAIMER: The following content wasn't created by, but is being shared by the Chamber Collaborative on behalf of a member.

PORTSMOUTH – New Hampshire Art Association artist John Kenyon will be on exhibit in a show titled, “Head Gear,” during the month of April at the NHAA’s Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery.

Kenyon is a businessman by day and a local portrait artist and illustrator by night. Although he has been painting portraits his entire life, he seriously began painting after he was done raising his children.

 

Whether painting a person or a beloved pet, Kenyon takes his inspiration from all that makes a living being an individual and captures that spirit on canvas.

 

As a medium, Kenyon prefers painting in oils because he loves the vibrant colors and sculptural qualities that oil paints have to offer. Most of his work is held in private collections and predominantly does commissioned portraits.

 

“The subject of any one of my paintings could be a person who has made an indelible mark on history – a fisherman, an elephant, a goldfish, or any of God’s creatures,” Kenyon said. “All have a spirit that shines through and makes one unique.”

 

Kenyon said what he strives for most in his portraits is to capture that spirit as well as a strong desire to tell a story.

 

“This exhibit includes a series of portraits that not only capture the physical embodiment of my subject, but more importantly, strives to capture that invisible spark - their spirit. My collection is meant to depict the invisible force that evokes our emotion, connects us to the animal that unites and inspires us.”

 

Kenyon works almost entirely with oils on canvas, using bold colors, and seeks to make his paintings multi-dimensional through the use of color, tone, contrast, and light. His paintings drift between Naturalism and Realism and are organic in nature.

 

“My paintings reflect the journey that one has been on since birth,” he explained. “To view one of my pieces you should see the road map of one’s life. The message here is to embrace the dents and dings, lines and wrinkles.  All these little marks are etchings of the experiences that define us as living beings,” he said.

 

 

GO & DO

 

“Head Gear” – oils on canvas by NH Art Association artist John Kenyon

 

Where: Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery, 136 State Street, Portsmouth NH, and online at www.nhartassociation.org.

 

When: March 30 through May 1. Opening reception at the gallery on April 1, from 5 to 8 p.m.

Gallery hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m.

Original source can be found here.