I just discovered quite by accident that one of my paintings is featured in the current edition of Raleigh "Downtowner" magazine. Click here to see the article. I am one of the exhibiting artists this year at the Miriam Preston Block Gallery, and the magazine selected one of my images to include in an article about the gallery's 2010 exhibition series. The exhibit, entitled "Home/Journeys," will run from April 8 to May 24, 2010. The gallery is located in the Avery C. Upchurch Government Complex, 222 W. Hargett Street in Raleigh, NC. It is sponsored by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission.

Farmhouse in Late Winter

Due to some challenges on the home front, I've been absent from the blog for two weeks. Sadly, one of the challenges was the loss of a beloved pet (my cat, Esther). The other, ironically, was the adoption of a new pet - a 12-week-old puppy - that occurred just prior to Esther falling ill. So, it's been a period of transition in my household.

I have managed to be productive in the studio despite the turmoil. Two weeks ago I returned to the large canvas entitled "Main Street" that I began in late summer as a long-term commissioned piece for a family member. It will be featured in my upcoming show at the Miriam Block Gallery before delivery to the patron. I also spent seven hours yesterday working on a new painting that will also be included in the spring show.

The painting above, "Farmhouse in Late Winter," was one of 12 canvases I painted in 2008 of the farmhouse located on Holly Springs Road in Cary, NC. This piece was one of those included in my exhibition at the Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill. I recently sold it to a patron who resides in Raleigh.

"Farmhouse in Late Winter." Oil on stretched canvas, 24 x 3o inches. Completed March 2008.

Baja Burrito Show

On December 20 I installed a small exhibit of my work at Baja Burrito in Raleigh, NC. Located at 2109 Avent Ferry Road, the restaurant features monthly exhibits by local artists. I met the owner, Judy Murray, at the opening reception for "Hang It Up!" at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design. She liked the two paintings I had on display in that show, and invited me to exhibit at her restaurant. I decided to focus on figurative and still life pieces since most of my recent exhibitions have featured architectural paintings. I think the distinctive wall color in the restaurant especially lent itself to these works. The exhibit will remain on view until February 12, 2010.

Biltmore in Winter

Christmas Eve seems like the appropriate day to present this year's special Christmas card image, "Biltmore in Winter." I have created a special holiday design for my annual Christmas cards since 1995. This year I chose to paint a winter scene of Biltmore, the magnificent Vanderbilt estate located just outside of Asheville, North Carolina. This subject was a natural one for this year's card since I recently began a series of paintings using Biltmore as the subject matter. Here's wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!

"Biltmore in Winter." Oil on stretched canvas, 24 x 30 inches. Completed November 2009.

On the Easel: House in the Desert

My latest work depicts an idea that came to me one day while driving along Interstate 95 from North Carolina to Maryland. Along the route were flat cotton fields occasionally populated by a house, either currently lived-in or abandoned. Back in the studio, I took that concept a bit further and combined some of the Victorian architecture I love in Savannah, Georgia with a desert landscape I had photographed while visiting Las Vegas, Nevada last May. This painting is the result.

"House in the Desert." Oil on stretched canvas, 30 x 40 inches. Completed November 2009.

"Past Perfect" Exhibit Opening Reception

Last Sunday was the opening reception for my solo exhibit "Past Perfect: Architectural Paintings by Kenneth Eugene Peters" at the Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill, NC. Sponsored by the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill (PSCH), the show will run until December 23.

The reception was a fabulous success, and a truly wonderful day for me. More than 50 friends and family members, some from long-distance, came out to support me. The PSCH staff did an impressive job of hanging the show for me; the installation couldn't have been more appropriate. Before guests started to arrive I was able to capture some of the exhibit space with my digital camera, and those images are seen above. The main exhibit room is a beautiful octagonal space that allows the visitor to see art from several different perspectives at once.

Additional good news came a few days later when I learned that one of the reception guests had purchased "House in Pasadena" in the show. With the Chapel Hill Holiday Home Tours departing from the Horace Williams House this weekend, I am hopeful that - perhaps - I'll enjoy another sale or two before the exhibit comes down.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I did not include a very special thanks to the following people for their hard work and support: Michael Dawson, who provided all of the food and refreshments (incredible job, Mike!); Ann and Mike Rives, who provided vital assistance with the refreshments; Tama Hochbaum, my PSCH artist liaison; Gordon Clarke Jameson, who hung the show; Ernie Dollar and Sherril Koroluk, PSCH staff; my parents, Hilda and Arthur Peters; my friend Tinam Valk; and all of the other great friends and colleagues who attended the reception on December 6 to offer their support.

Preservation Society of Chapel Hill Exhibit Opens this Sunday

My solo exhibition at the Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill, NC will open this coming Sunday, December 6, 2009. The artist's reception runs from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on this date, and the exhibit continues through December 23. Sponsored by the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill, the show will feature eighteen paintings depicting various architectural subjects. I'd like to thank my artist liaison, Tama Hochbaum, and the Assistant to the Director, Sherril Koroluk, for all of their assistance as I prepared for the exhibit.

Horace Williams House Exhibit Preparation

The opening date for my solo exhibition at the Horace Williams House (pictured above) in Chapel Hill, NC is just two weeks away, so much of my time this week will be devoted to preparing for that show. I have selected 17 canvases for display in the exhibit, and will be prepping them (rehanging the wiring, framing and edging) starting this weekend. The invitation postcard was mailed ten days ago to about 200 individuals and organizations. I've received positive feedback from family and friends, so I am hopeful for a nice crowd at the December 6 opening reception (2:00-4:00 pm). The exhibit will remain on view until December 23.

For more information on the Horace Williams House and the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill, visit their web site here.

New exhibit opportunity and "Hang It Up!" artist talk

This has been a busy week in the studio. I began a large (30 x 40 inch) canvas last week that is a mixture of reality and imagination. While I'll save further discussion for later, it has started off well.

In addition, I have a new solo exhibit opportunity coming up. Judy Murray, owner of Baja Burrito (a Mexican restaurant in Raleigh), saw my two paintings in the "Hang It Up!" exhibit at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design and offered me a solo show. My work will be on display at Baja Burrito from January 2 - February 12, 2010.

Speaking of "Hang It Up!", today I participated in an artist talk as part of that exhibition. I was invited to join seven other artists featured in the show in a gallery tour. Each of us was given about 10 minutes to discuss our work with the tour group. About 25 folks showed up for the talk, and I really enjoyed the experience. "Hang It Up!" will continue through December 19.

Motel Window

This week I am featuring a canvas I completed in 2006. A somewhat introspective piece, the idea came to me after looking at some very old family photographs. One image showed the view out of a motel window in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina taken during a family vacation. I decided to superimpose a self-portrait on top of the window composition, and this painting was the result. I exhibited this work in the Visual Art Exchange's 2007 show "A Room with a View."

"Motel Window. Oil on stretched canvas, 36 x 28 inches, Completed October 2006.

Ruins of the Old Laurel Sanitarium

Halloween seems to be the appropriate day to go back to my older portfolio of paintings and post an image of this canvas, completed in 1991 when I was still living in Maryland. The subject is the remains of the main building on the grounds of the Laurel Sanitarium, an early 20th century mental hospital and farm that once operated in my hometown of Laurel, MD.

When I was young I lived on a street that bounded the sanitarium grounds. In 1964 the entire complex was razed in a controlled burn. My family sat in our front yard and watched as each structure was purposely set on fire. For six years after that day, the ruins stood empty and crumbling, and were easily accessible to me and my friends. My sister and I especially loved to ride our bikes on the old driveways and explore the derelict buildings, making up creepy stories about what might have taken place behind its walls.

In 1970 the grounds were finally bull-dozed over and a large department store and shopping center addition were built on the site. Over the years several apartments and housing complexes were constructed nearby, and today nothing remains that would ever indicate it even existed. This link, however, includes two photos of the sanitarium buildings circa 1910-1914. It was quite a bucolic setting in its heyday.

"Ruins of the Old Laurel Sanitarium." Oil on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches. Completed December 1991.

"Hang It Up!" at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design

This past Thursday I attended the opening reception for the exhibit "Hang It Up!" at the Gregg Museum of Art and Design at NC State University (pictured above). As a staff member at the university, I was eligible to enter two works in this group show, which runs until December 21. I chose to include "Fourth and Montgomery" (just returned from the juried show at the Rocky Mount Arts Center) and "Biltmore." The exhibit turned out wonderfully, especially considering the huge variety of media represented. Kudos to the staff of the Gregg Museum for such a great job!

Biltmore

Biltmore, the massive estate in Asheville NC created by George Washington Vanderbilt in the 1890s, has long been one of my favorite destinations. I've traveled to it many times, and each visit amazes and intrigues me. The magnitude of the mansion - America's largest private residence - is humbling, and its location in the Pisgah National Forest (also created by Vanderbilt) is spectacular. While expensive to tour, I feel it is worth every penny.

I have wanted to work on a series of canvases depicting Biltmore for nearly two years. This summer, I began the idea with the canvas seen above, simply entitled "Biltmore." It shows the main house in a severely cropped composition and highly simplified. While I wanted to capture the building's grandeur and immensity, I didn't want to create a sterile portrait. Rather, I hoped to imbue it with a feeling of lost luster and a haunting sense of mystery.

"Biltmore." Oil on stretched canvas, 28 x 34 inches. Completed June 2009.

August Sunset

This is my most recent work, completed in August. Based on a house in Cumberland, Maryland, much of the composition is actually developed from my imagination. Rather than depict the structure in its original setting, a crowded Victorian neighborhood, I wanted to give it more of a feeling of loneliness and abandonment.

I chose this painting as the front piece on the exhibition postcard for my upcoming solo show at the Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill, NC. The exhibit will run from December 6 to 23 and coincides with the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill's Holiday Home Tour. Hopefully my architectural works will provide an appropriate backdrop to the tour groups that will begin and end at the Society's headquarters.

"August Sunset." Oil on stretched canvas, 24 x 30 inches. Completed August 2009.

South on Allegany

My sabbatical from painting has continued in September. While I didn't plan this break, I think I must have needed it emotionally and creatively. Although I haven't been working on new pieces, I have continued to stimulate myself artistically.

On September 19 I visited the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University to see the new exhibit "Picasso and the Allure of Language." Picasso, and cubism in general, has never held a strong attraction for me, but this exhibit was interesting in that it explores his relationship with writers (especially Gertrude Stein) and displays lithographs and published illustrations that are not typical of Picasso's main stream body of work.

I also attended an artist's reception for Susan Parrish at the Horace Williams House in Chapel Hill on September 27. This is the same location that will host a solo show of my work in December. Ms. Parrish is a potter and collage artist, and it was very helpful to gain a sneak peak at an opening prior to my own. Today I am going to finalize the invitation for the show in Chapel Hill, and I'll post the final copy in a future post.

The painting above, "South on Allegany," was completed this past spring. It is another in a series of canvases I have produced this year that depict street scenes and structures in Cumberland, Maryland. This work will likely be displayed in my 2010 exhibition at the Raleigh Municipal Building.

"South on Allegany." Oil on stretched canvas, 24 x 30 inches. Completed March 2009.

Short Break from the Studio

I've been taking a few weeks off from active painting to visit family up north and to catch up on some much-needed home and yard projects. Next weekend I'm planning to visit the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University to see the new exhibit "Picasso and the Allure of Language." I'll be sure to post some comments. Stayed tuned...

Commission: "Snow at Sunrise"

This weekend I put the finishing touches on this commissioned work. The painting is loosely based on a photograph provided by the patron. The scene depicts a portion of their country property after a heavy snowfall. In order to make the project a bit more challenging, I decided (with the patron's blessing) to complete the piece in a panorama-styled format using three 20 x 16 inch canvases. Since I knew that the work was going to be placed above an entertainment center in the patron's home, I also thought that this format would work best.

"Snow at Sunrise." Oil on three 20 x 16 inch stretched canvases, total size 20 x 48 inches. Completed August 2009.

"Main Street" Update

Here is an update on the large canvas I began a few weeks ago entitled "Main Street" (see August 1, 2009 post). After two more long work sessions, the canvas stands in this current state, still unfinished. In general I am satisfied with its progress, although I have some question regarding the sky and the brick structures in the far left side of the work. I still need to work up the structures along the right side, add highlights and shadows, and then decide any further refinements that might be needed. Comments are always welcome!

"Main Street" (tentative title). Oil on stretched canvas, 36 x 48 inches. In progress; begun July 2009.

Dormer Windows

I typically arrange my studio painting sessions so that they allow extended periods of time to work on a piece (usually 6 to 8 hours). However, sometimes I find that I am unexpectedly motivated to paint after hours or when I have a small time frame available. The canvas above is an example. It was completed in less than an hour late one weekday evening, using leftover oils from the past week's pallet. It was also created strictly from imagination, without any specific source material. The idea of attic-level dormer windows just kind of came to me one evening, and I decided to take an old, used canvas and quickly paint an impression of the idea. Here are the results.

"Dormer Windows." Oil on stretched canvas, 8 x 10 inches. Completed January 2009.

In Progress: "Main Street"

When I originally created this artist blog back in December 2008, it was my intent to post works in progress as well as finished pieces. Unfortunately I haven't been very faithful to that intent, as I have primarily posted canvases after their completion rather than in progress.

Today's post returns to the original intent. I began this large (36 x 48 inch) canvas last week and have allowed it to sit since then as I considered its next metamorphosis. The composition is based on a photograph I took over the Independence Day holiday weekend while visiting my sister and her family in Mount Airy, Maryland. It depicts an intersection of that town's Main Street. I loved the unusual flat-iron shaped building that stands at this intersection, so I quickly snapped a photo of it as we walked to lunch.

Last week, I developed the composition using the original digital photo as a resource. Prior to beginning, I primed the canvas (which I had stretched myself) with an abstract collage of acrylic colors. That is the underpainting one can still see in this stage of the work. I like working on top of a confused color field - I feel that it encourages me to work more loosely. Then, I sketched my composition using a soft brush filled with burnt umber oil paint slightly diluted with painting medium. From there, I began to build up the painted surface.

Because this is a large canvas for me, it will likely take several extended sessions to complete this painting. Once it is finished, I will post the final results.

"Main Street" (tentative title). Oil on stretched canvas, 36 x 48 inches. In progress; begun July 2009.