Jordan Hall Arts Center Exhibit Reception

Many thanks to the family and friends who attended last night's reception at the Jordan Hall Arts Center for my solo exhibition "Structure and Light: Paintings by Kenneth Eugene Peters." It was wonderful to see so many folks come out on what turned out to be a very hot evening in central North Carolina. The exhibit will remain on view until this Thursday, April 30.

On Friday, May 1st I will deliver 20 works to the Burke Arts Council in Morganton, NC for the May solo show I will have in its Jailhouse Gallery. That exhibit will run from May 8 through May 29.

Roanoke Rapids

It's been awhile since I posted any recent work. This painting, entitled "Roanoke Rapids," was completed at the end of 2008. The imagery is a compilation of scenes I photographed during a visit to Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina in February 2008. My destination on that trip was the Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail, a newly-opened historic site that preserves elements of the canal that was constructed in the 19th century to divert river traffic around the falls along the Roanoke River.

I had visited Roanoke Rapids as a young boy living in Maryland during the 1960s, and had a vivid memory of the huge dam upriver from the falls. Much to my pleasure, the canal trail ended at the dam (although security implemented after 911 now prevents visitors from accessing the viewing tower of the dam, as I had done 40 years earlier). The trail itself was a peaceful walk that included a section of crumbling ramparts from the old canal. Unfortunately, the canal museum was closed on this day, so I could only walk around its grounds rather than see the displays.

The two strongest images I left with that day were the billowing smokestacks from the huge paper mill in Roanoke Rapids, and the blocks of aging mill houses with their cyclops-like second story windows. The neighborhood that encompasses these mill houses has fallen into disfavor, and the homes stand today in a variety of conditions; some are even empty and near ruins. I was fascinated with their uniformity and style, and took a series of pictures of them. Then, back in the studio I developed this composition and superimposed the paper mill stacks in the background. While it is strictly a view composed in my mind, I feel it accurately captures the mood of this once-thriving mill town.

"Roanoke Rapids." 20 x 30 inches, oil on stretched canvas. Completed in December 2008.

Exhibition News

I have recently received two new exhibit opportunities:

The Burke Arts Council has offered me a solo exhibit opportunity as part of its gallery re-opening celebration after a major renovation. The exhibit will run from May 9-29, 2009 in the BAC Jailhouse Gallery, 115 Meeting Street, Morganton, NC.

Juror Anne Lemanski selected my painting "Fourth and Montgomery" for inclusion in the Rocky Mount Art Center's 52nd National Multi-Media Juried Art Exhibition. The exhibit will run May 23-September 13, 2009 at the Rocky Mount Arts Center, 270 Gay Street, Rocky Mount NC.

Edge of Night

This painting was the largest canvas I completed during the 2007 series of works based on my living room. Entitled "Edge of Night," I again depicted the large bay window that stretches more than eight feet along the southern wall of the room. I chose to depict it at night, relying on interior lighting this time instead of flooding sunlight. I especially enjoyed the multiple reflections created in the window by the hat-box lamp behind the figure. This painting is among the nine currently on display in my show at the Jordan Hall Arts Center.

"Edge of Night." 24 x 36 inches, oil on canvas. Completed January 2007.