Editor's Note: The following is a press release issued by the city of Enumclaw.
Enumclaw artist Adam Kenney’s paintings are complex constructs of creativity and beauty. Adam paints man-made objects intersecting with nature’s beauty. Enumclaw and the Plateau area provide endless painterly problems to solve, and Adam Kennedy explores the endless possibilities with a passion for the truth.
Adam Kenney’s Artist Statement:
I have spent much of my life among the various locales surrounding Enumclaw, Maple Valley, and Ravensdale. When I left for Seattle Pacific University several years ago, I was leaving behind a large portion of my life, much of which I wasn't even very aware of. While the big city had impressed me, on the rare occasions when I would journey home, I began to appreciate the scenery much more than I had before. I was finally able to really appreciate the beauty of the plateau and the foothills.
Having spent some time in the city and the university, I also developed an interest in architecture and the relation of geometric shapes to organic shapes. I began to appreciate man-made structures in ways that had not occurred to me before. The contrast that an erected monument had against the flowing and ever-changing wildlife became emphasized in my mind. Artists that I had never really thought too much of before, such as Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer, were appealing to my sensibilities.
That said, this work is an effort to express that excitement. The towering power lines, the mangled fence, the distant houses, and the cut tree all speak to man's wrestle with nature. Ideas of age, decay, new life, eventual loss, progression, and many others are brought to mind when we take some moments to view our environment in relation to time and the forces of mankind, nature, and God. My art is an attempt to help us reflect on ancient and lasting truths in a world where we are often too busy to think on such things.
Gallery 2012 is located in the Council Chambers at Enumclaw City Hall. 1339 Griffin Ave. Enumclaw, WA 98022. Hours for the exhibition space are 9:30 a. m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Enumclaw City Hall is closed on national holidays. The gallery is closed to the public on Tuesday of each week for municipal court proceedings. For More Information, please call Enumclaw Cultural Programs office at (360) 802-0239.
