The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Kent Art Association opens Members II show
KENT — The Kent Art Association opened its Members II show recently with a reception and awards presentation. The KAA has over 300 members from Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts. The Members Show offers member artists the opportunity to show off new works and as almost all mediums and styles are accepted, KAA shows are always an exciting and interesting mix of traditional and modern. Sculpture, photography, mixed media and graphics share wall space with traditional oils, watercolors, pastels and acrylics in creative representational and nonrepresentational ‘modern’ forms. This show provides an exceptional opportunity for attendee’s to view the work of numerous artists (usually between 30 and 50 artists are represented in a show with at least 100 individual pieces of art) ranging from talented beginners to professional artists. All artwork exhibited has to meet the KAA’s high standards for exhibition.
Judges for the Members II Show are Karen Bahrenburg and Thomas Franken. Bahrenburg earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Fairleigh Dickenson University and worked as a technical writer for McGraw Hill Publishing Company. Drawing and painting were early passions and she had her formal training at the Woodstock School of Art and the Dutchess County Art Association where she studied figure drawing, oil painting and pastel. Bahrenburg began working almost exclusively in pastels after taking workshops with some of the most acclaimed pastel artists in the world. She enjoys painting rural landscapes near her home, and wherever her travels take her.
Franken is an innovative and imaginative artist with a large portfolio that encompasses a variety of media including paintings, silk screens, collages, graphic arts, and designs in wood. Oil paintings are the primary focus of his work with a strong, vivid use of color rendered in an abstract, impressionistic style. His silkscreen designs began with a line of original holiday and note cards that were sold by UNICEF, The Metropolitan Opera, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. His woodworking includes one of a kind pieces including lamps, wall hangings, wine racks and furniture. His art has been exhibited in a number of galleries and acquired by collectors.
The Members II Show is open through Sunday, Sept. 8 at the KAA Gallery, South Main Street, in Kent. Gallery hours are Thursday to Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. For information on this and all upcoming events visit www.kentart.org, call the Gallery at 8609273989 during Gallery hours or send an email to: kent.art.assoc@snet.net.