German Village’s own Keny Galleries will feature a month-long exhibit of the work of artist Stephen Pentak beginning April 11 and running through May 7.
The Snake River and Other Sources is a display of some of Pentak’s most recent oil paintings, a collection that captures the beauty and serenity of the mountainous terrain in the American West. Drawing inspiration from the pure majesty of the landscape itself, Pentak uses shades of blue, green, gray and always a touch of amber to create a glazed, layered look in his paintings.
The exhibit spotlights paintings constructed by Pentak while observing scenes of nature in Wyoming and Idaho, in areas where the landscape is dominated by the iconic Snake River and surrounding Grand Teton mountain range.
“For the exhibition at Keny Galleries, I have focused on details of riverside views, trees, and reeds,” says Pentak.
As such, the paintings are derived from the landscape’s natural tranquility, which is shown by the atmosphere, lighting and color tones Pentak makes use of. One such painting, titled 2008, I.II (oil on birch panel, 14” x 18.5”), portrays an image of the serrated edges of a branch of leaves, as it reflects the similarly shaped mountains in the background. Pentak produced this painting last September near Jenny Lake and the Tetons in Wyoming. The atmosphere of the paintings in this collection is augmented by a smoky haze that persisted following widespread summer wildfires throughout the region.
Pentak’s extensive list of honors includes four Ohio Arts Council Fellowships. He has had a multitude of public and private exhibitions of his work, with paintings and drawings in more than 100 collections. He was a featured artist in Scotland, England and Italy, and has had shows in numerous galleries. Susan Street in San Diego and Kathryn Markel Fine Arts in New York have been home to some of his paintings, as well as The Columbus Museum of Art and The Wexner Center.
Residing in Worthington, his career has been based out of Columbus for more than 23 years. With a studio in Grandview and an academic history that includes being a professor and Associate Dean for the College of the Arts at the Ohio State University, Pentak has taken full advantage of Columbus’ budding fine arts scene.
“The new small paintings are a response to the scale of the Keny Galleries, and the challenge that provided me. The small works present new elements that I expect to evolve alongside my other series,” Pentak says, adding he takes pleasure in the opportunity to try something just slightly different from his usual work.
However, audiences will enjoy more than contemporary paintings of the western landscape of Idaho and Wyoming. In addition to his work from sources near the Snake River, Pentak’s collection includes paintings from the upper Hudson and Delaware rivers in New York, as well as smaller water sources in the Pennsylvania countryside.
Pentak notes his paintings for this exhibition do not offer a reprise of the familiar or iconic landscape. On the contrary, they stand alone as spectacular representations of imagery seen in the American West. Or, right here in Columbus at Keny Galleries.
Keny Galleries is located at 300 E. Beck St. in German Village. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call 614-464-1228 or visit www.kenygalleries.com.