Issue Date: 1/17/06
Gallery departs from tradition
By Katy Goodwin
- Page 1 of 1
The Boehm Gallery will kick off the spring semester with new exhibitions titled "Mixed Metaphors," by Kenney Mencher and "Life as I Know It," by Janet Mackaig. The exhibitions will be open Jan. 21 through Feb. 10 with a reception on Jan. 21 at 4:30 p.m.
Communications director of the Boehm Gallery Kylee McDowell, said the gallery is trying something different than its traditional exhibition choices.
"In the past we've been accused of being overly traditional," McDowell said. "We're putting a foot out there and showing pieces that are out of the ordinary."
"Mixed Metaphors" is a collection of oil paintings by Mencher, a professor of art at Ohlone College in Fremont, Calif. Mencher's paintings display a dry sense of humor and some contain subject matters that may be seen as vulgar or dirty. An example is his painting "Apocrypha," which depicts a woman in her lingerie tied up on the floor in front of two men.
Because of the risque nature of Mencher's work, it was censored in the HANG Gallery in San Francisco, and the Cal-STRS Gallery in Sacramento.
On his Web site, Mencher said he strives for ambiguity in his work so that the viewer can take his or her own interpretation from the pieces.
"(Mencher's work) is implicit, not in your face," McDowell said.
Mencher uses vibrant colors in his paintings, combined with realistic shading techniques to create life-like figures and backgrounds.
The scenes depicted may be less than realistic, however. A preview of Mencher's work can be found on his Web site at www.kenney-mencher.com.
Mackaig's series, "Life as I Know It," features acrylic paintings that incorporate painted-wooden cutouts. Mackaig uses cutouts on her canvases to create a 3-D effect, but also has some stand alone cutouts that are painted to look like people and cheetahs.
"Janet is an accomplished artist with amazing foreshortening techniques," McDowell said. "She can make a completely flat object look 3-D."
Mackaig is a professional artist, with 50 years of experience. She uses a lot of animal imagery in her paintings, putting them in scenes where we would expect to find humans.
For example, her piece "Where's Ken" features zebras wandering around outside of a storefront.
Mackaig's use of cutouts, shading and other mixed media gives her work an element of depth and the illusion of 3-D subjects.
The Boehm Gallery is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.
Communications director of the Boehm Gallery Kylee McDowell, said the gallery is trying something different than its traditional exhibition choices.
"In the past we've been accused of being overly traditional," McDowell said. "We're putting a foot out there and showing pieces that are out of the ordinary."
"Mixed Metaphors" is a collection of oil paintings by Mencher, a professor of art at Ohlone College in Fremont, Calif. Mencher's paintings display a dry sense of humor and some contain subject matters that may be seen as vulgar or dirty. An example is his painting "Apocrypha," which depicts a woman in her lingerie tied up on the floor in front of two men.
Because of the risque nature of Mencher's work, it was censored in the HANG Gallery in San Francisco, and the Cal-STRS Gallery in Sacramento.
On his Web site, Mencher said he strives for ambiguity in his work so that the viewer can take his or her own interpretation from the pieces.
"(Mencher's work) is implicit, not in your face," McDowell said.
Mencher uses vibrant colors in his paintings, combined with realistic shading techniques to create life-like figures and backgrounds.
The scenes depicted may be less than realistic, however. A preview of Mencher's work can be found on his Web site at www.kenney-mencher.com.
Mackaig's series, "Life as I Know It," features acrylic paintings that incorporate painted-wooden cutouts. Mackaig uses cutouts on her canvases to create a 3-D effect, but also has some stand alone cutouts that are painted to look like people and cheetahs.
"Janet is an accomplished artist with amazing foreshortening techniques," McDowell said. "She can make a completely flat object look 3-D."
Mackaig is a professional artist, with 50 years of experience. She uses a lot of animal imagery in her paintings, putting them in scenes where we would expect to find humans.
For example, her piece "Where's Ken" features zebras wandering around outside of a storefront.
Mackaig's use of cutouts, shading and other mixed media gives her work an element of depth and the illusion of 3-D subjects.
The Boehm Gallery is open Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is free.