Pink Peppermint, 11x14 inches oil on canvas panel by Kenney Mencher

$275.00
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This is an original work of art NOT a print
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks

I'm inspired by the strength it takes for black people to live in the United States especially at this time in history when human rights and equal rights are so much under attack. This portrait of a handsome brave young man.

#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.

I try to make really well crafted work about the human figure and the human condition. I focus on the kind of beauty for both men and women that is "non-standard."

I'm a voyeur who appreciates the beauty in all people, especially the unusual or non-standard variety.

I've been working in thicker and thicker layers and spending more time each day on each painting. One of the things that I've done recently is that I have decided to work on most paintings for at least 2 to 3 days, letting it dry in between each of these days, so that I can rework the color, drawing and anatomy, and lastly but probably most important thing for me is to build the paint surface up and the texture of the brushwork needs to mimic what it's portraying. For example, in most of the faces that I paint I try to make the angles of the brushwork match the facets of things like cheekbones and eye sockets.

Here's a bit more about Kenney Mencher the artist,

I was born in Brooklyn February of 1965. During much of my childhood I lived in Brooklyn, the Bronx, upstate NY, Sarasota, Florida and Manhattan. (Both my mother and father divorced and remarried.) The real hero of my childhood is my older brother Marc who literally changed my diapers, acted as my protector and as my role model.

I started to learn to paint and draw when I was six or seven years old and was convinced that I would be an artist from that age on.

As a teen at the High School of Art and Design I got my best training in Irwin Greenberg’s class where he taught me how to draw, oil paint and watercolor. I also attended classes at the Cooper Union and Art Students League.

My parents threw me out in my senior year of high school, so I earned my GED and worked construction on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was a rough time but my older brother and his partner Kirk rescued me by inviting me to move with them to Cincinnati, Ohio to live and study. While a college student, I worked in restaurants and painted as much as I could. After a year at the University of Cincinnati, I went back to the Bronx where I finished college at CUNY Lehman. Lehman is a fantastic college.

After completing my undergraduate studies, I lived in California and then Ohio completing my two masters’ degrees in Art History and Studio Art. After school I was lucky enough to have dual careers as an exhibiting artist and tenured professor.

In 2014 I began to work on paintings with a strong homoerotic content. Despite excellent sales and well received shows, the galleries I worked with wouldn’t show my new queer work, so I’ve been successfully working mainly directly with my collectors. This change has freed me and allowed me to focus on themes and subjects that, in the past, were rejected or resulted in censorship.

Things are going great! In 2016, after eighteen years of teaching art history and studio courses, I resigned a tenured professorship to pursue painting full time.

EDUCATION
1993-1995 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
MFA Painting

1991-1994 University of California, Davis, CA
MA Art History

1988-1991 City University of New York, Bronx, NY
Magna Cum Laude; BA Art History

1988 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

1981-1985 Art Students' League, Manhattan, NY

1978-1982 Art & Design High School, Manhattan, NY

EMPLOYMENT
1999-2016 Associate Professor of Art & Art History, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA

1998-1999 Instructor of Art History & Western Civilization, San Francisco University High School

1996-1998 Assistant Professor of Art & Art History, Texas A&M University, Laredo, TX

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2021 Lone Star Saloon, San Francisco, CA
It’s All About the Bears

2016 Tracy Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
The Convict and the Boy, A Graphic Novel and Installation by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.

2012 Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.


2012 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.

2012 Art Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.

2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.

2008 Sequential Art Gallery, Portland, OR
Cads and Coquettes

2008 Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
Lovers and Liars

2007 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Faces and Farces

2007 Gallery 2611, Redwood City, CA
Clichés and Characters

2006 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Kenney Mencher: Recent Work

2006 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Apperceptions and Allegories

2006 Norton Studio Gallery, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
Being There

2006 Esteban Sabar Gallery, Oakland, CA
Similes and Sayings

2005 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Hamlettes on Wry

2005 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA
2004 Louie-Meager Art Gallery, Gary Soren Smith Center, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Dress Code
2004 STRS Gallery, Sacramento, CA

1997 Laredo Center for the Arts, Laredo, TX
Noir Images (Solo Show)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Men's Room

2010 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Go Figure

2010 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Resurgence

2009 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
In Black and White: Monochromatic Paintings by Kenney Mencher and Caroline Meyer

2008 Art Museum of Los Gatos, CA
Sex, Politics and Misogyny, Peter Langenbach and Kenney Mencher

2006-07 Klaudia Marr, Santa Fe, NM
14th Annual Realism Invitational
13th Annual Realism Invitational

2006 Triton Art Museum, Santa Clara, CA
Beyond the Likeness: Self Portraits by California Artists

2003 Hang Gallery Palo Alto, CA
One More Thing Before I Go

1999 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
First Annual Realism Invitational

2001 Craighead-Green, Dallas, TX
Kenney Mencher and Connie Connally

1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Small Works

1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Nancy Switzer, Milt Kobayashi, and Kenney Mencher


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Ratings and Reviews

James
Rated 5 out of 5
Great service. Delivered quickly and securely. I love it. Kenny's work is amazing.

Avions
Rated 5 out of 5


AJ
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenney’s pieces are even more amazing in person. The pictures offer a great reference but don’t do the detail of his work and brush strokes justice.

AJ
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenney produces wonderful work and was great at following up regarding shipping after the purchase

Jake
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenney never fails to impress with the quality of his work. So happy to have another beautiful piece in my collection.


13aarongreen
Rated 5 out of 5
This painting came in the mail today and it is even better in person than the image on Etsy! The well-chosen colors, interesting and perfectly constructed composition, and the great use of brush strokes to define the musculature, all indicate that this painting was made by a master artist. I would be remiss, too, if I did not also thank him for his great service, quick shipping, and all the extras he sent along with the painting, itself. Thank you!

Scott
Rated 5 out of 5
Can’t say enough about Kenney’s paintings. Beautiful images, a freedom of feeling, just great.

Brian
Rated 5 out of 5
Finally got it unpacked. It would be difficult not to slip into hyperbole. A magnificent painting I am thrilled to add to my collection. Thank you so much!

Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Perfect.

Procopio
Rated 5 out of 5
Amazingly-beautiful!!! I love love love it. Becoming a big fan of the artist. I would highly recommend him. Will be buying more if he paints more silver foxes for sure I’m very excited to own this piece.

Mitch
Rated 5 out of 5
Great communication with the artist regarding the shipping process. When the package arrived I was very impressed with the care taken - the padding shows he values the work as much as I do. Surprised with the extras he slipped in the package - a watercolor study for the diptych, a program detailing his works and history, and several notecards (that will probably end up framed as well). I’m so happy to have found Mencher’s work.


KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Another stunning piece of art from Kenney Mencher! I'd had my eye on this one for a while, so glad I finally had the chance to add it to my collection. Thank you, Kenney, for sharing your great talent with these fine works of art.

Dan
Rated 5 out of 5
Amazing texture and form in this piece x

Dan
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic piece of art. Just love it x

Harley
Rated 5 out of 5
Painting is stunning and I love the imposto thick paint technique the artist has used to convey emotion.

iicarus
Rated 5 out of 5
I am in love with my newest acquisition. The vendor kept constant communication, and the parcel arrived meticulously packaged and delivered quickly. I will definitely be purchasing more from this store.

Vincent
Rated 5 out of 5
Perfect addition to our collection. Looks great!

Vincent
Rated 5 out of 5
Looks even better in person. I appreciated having a variety of print sizes to choose from.
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