1994, Games in the Park, 11x14 inches, matted, oil on gessoed Arches paper, by Kenney Mencher
FREE SHIPPING
Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
This painting, Games in the Park, is one of the last remaining pieces I have from a series I made in the early '90s. The reference came from an old black-and-white magazine my older brother gave me—one of those vintage publications from the late 1960s or early '70s. It wasn’t outright pornographic, but the photos had a strong, physical energy to them. I used that kind of material a lot back then, inventing the color, lighting, and brushwork around the black-and-white images.
I painted this one while I was in grad school at the University of Cincinnati, around the same time I was making other works like Dominique and Hart. I was working constantly, making sometimes five or six pieces a week, and because I was broke, I painted on anything I could afford. In this case, I taped down a sheet of Arches watercolor paper and prepped it with a colored gesso before going in with oil paint. The paper is now permanently mounted to an 11x14-inch piece of white mat board—I used double-sided tape on the back at the time and completely forgot, so it’s not removable without risking damage. That said, it’s cleanly presented and ready to go right into any standard 11x14 frame.
The painting is loosely structured, with three figures cropped into a tight composition. The anatomy is exaggerated in places, with chunky shoulders and stylized heads, and the space is compressed to focus on the physical interaction between the figures. The brushwork is thick and expressive—I was using bristle brushes and working the paint in short directional strokes to follow the muscles and forms. The colors are all invented: warm reddish skin tones, cool blue shadows, and bright green foliage in the background. It’s abstract in its treatment of light and space but still grounded in figuration.
This piece hung in my bedroom for years, alongside other works that explored boudoir or more intimate scenes. It’s part of my Fresh Finds project, where I’m opening up my archive and offering works that have been with me for decades. These are formative pieces—part of my early exploration of figuration, storytelling, and material—and I think they have something to offer both visually and historically to collectors interested in the trajectory of my work.
Details
Title: Games in the Park
Medium: Oil on gessoed Arches watercolor paper, mounted to mat board
Size: Artwork approx. 8 x 10 inches; mat size 11 x 14 inches
Year: 1994
Surface: Mounted paper, embedded in clean white mat board (not removable)
Frame: Not included, fits standard 11x14 frame
Condition: Excellent; permanently attached to mat board with double-sided tape from the 1990s
Influences: Bay Area Figurative (Bischoff, Diebenkorn), vintage photo references
Brushwork: Expressive, bristle strokes with visible texture
Subject: Three stylized male figures in an outdoor setting
Part of: “Fresh Finds” archive release
Ships from: Round Lake Beach, Illinois
FREE SHIPPING
Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
This painting, Games in the Park, is one of the last remaining pieces I have from a series I made in the early '90s. The reference came from an old black-and-white magazine my older brother gave me—one of those vintage publications from the late 1960s or early '70s. It wasn’t outright pornographic, but the photos had a strong, physical energy to them. I used that kind of material a lot back then, inventing the color, lighting, and brushwork around the black-and-white images.
I painted this one while I was in grad school at the University of Cincinnati, around the same time I was making other works like Dominique and Hart. I was working constantly, making sometimes five or six pieces a week, and because I was broke, I painted on anything I could afford. In this case, I taped down a sheet of Arches watercolor paper and prepped it with a colored gesso before going in with oil paint. The paper is now permanently mounted to an 11x14-inch piece of white mat board—I used double-sided tape on the back at the time and completely forgot, so it’s not removable without risking damage. That said, it’s cleanly presented and ready to go right into any standard 11x14 frame.
The painting is loosely structured, with three figures cropped into a tight composition. The anatomy is exaggerated in places, with chunky shoulders and stylized heads, and the space is compressed to focus on the physical interaction between the figures. The brushwork is thick and expressive—I was using bristle brushes and working the paint in short directional strokes to follow the muscles and forms. The colors are all invented: warm reddish skin tones, cool blue shadows, and bright green foliage in the background. It’s abstract in its treatment of light and space but still grounded in figuration.
This piece hung in my bedroom for years, alongside other works that explored boudoir or more intimate scenes. It’s part of my Fresh Finds project, where I’m opening up my archive and offering works that have been with me for decades. These are formative pieces—part of my early exploration of figuration, storytelling, and material—and I think they have something to offer both visually and historically to collectors interested in the trajectory of my work.
Details
Title: Games in the Park
Medium: Oil on gessoed Arches watercolor paper, mounted to mat board
Size: Artwork approx. 8 x 10 inches; mat size 11 x 14 inches
Year: 1994
Surface: Mounted paper, embedded in clean white mat board (not removable)
Frame: Not included, fits standard 11x14 frame
Condition: Excellent; permanently attached to mat board with double-sided tape from the 1990s
Influences: Bay Area Figurative (Bischoff, Diebenkorn), vintage photo references
Brushwork: Expressive, bristle strokes with visible texture
Subject: Three stylized male figures in an outdoor setting
Part of: “Fresh Finds” archive release
Ships from: Round Lake Beach, Illinois
FREE SHIPPING
Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks
This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
This painting, Games in the Park, is one of the last remaining pieces I have from a series I made in the early '90s. The reference came from an old black-and-white magazine my older brother gave me—one of those vintage publications from the late 1960s or early '70s. It wasn’t outright pornographic, but the photos had a strong, physical energy to them. I used that kind of material a lot back then, inventing the color, lighting, and brushwork around the black-and-white images.
I painted this one while I was in grad school at the University of Cincinnati, around the same time I was making other works like Dominique and Hart. I was working constantly, making sometimes five or six pieces a week, and because I was broke, I painted on anything I could afford. In this case, I taped down a sheet of Arches watercolor paper and prepped it with a colored gesso before going in with oil paint. The paper is now permanently mounted to an 11x14-inch piece of white mat board—I used double-sided tape on the back at the time and completely forgot, so it’s not removable without risking damage. That said, it’s cleanly presented and ready to go right into any standard 11x14 frame.
The painting is loosely structured, with three figures cropped into a tight composition. The anatomy is exaggerated in places, with chunky shoulders and stylized heads, and the space is compressed to focus on the physical interaction between the figures. The brushwork is thick and expressive—I was using bristle brushes and working the paint in short directional strokes to follow the muscles and forms. The colors are all invented: warm reddish skin tones, cool blue shadows, and bright green foliage in the background. It’s abstract in its treatment of light and space but still grounded in figuration.
This piece hung in my bedroom for years, alongside other works that explored boudoir or more intimate scenes. It’s part of my Fresh Finds project, where I’m opening up my archive and offering works that have been with me for decades. These are formative pieces—part of my early exploration of figuration, storytelling, and material—and I think they have something to offer both visually and historically to collectors interested in the trajectory of my work.
Details
Title: Games in the Park
Medium: Oil on gessoed Arches watercolor paper, mounted to mat board
Size: Artwork approx. 8 x 10 inches; mat size 11 x 14 inches
Year: 1994
Surface: Mounted paper, embedded in clean white mat board (not removable)
Frame: Not included, fits standard 11x14 frame
Condition: Excellent; permanently attached to mat board with double-sided tape from the 1990s
Influences: Bay Area Figurative (Bischoff, Diebenkorn), vintage photo references
Brushwork: Expressive, bristle strokes with visible texture
Subject: Three stylized male figures in an outdoor setting
Part of: “Fresh Finds” archive release
Ships from: Round Lake Beach, Illinois
