1994, Information, 9x12 inches, watercolor on paper, by Kenney Mencher
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This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago.
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This watercolor is called Information, and I painted it in 1993. It's about 9x12 inches, and it came out of a stretch when I was really deep into using film stills as references. I used to pause my old grainy VCR on scenes from classic films or old television and make quick studies straight from the screen. I’d also dig through thrift shops, used bookstores, and the library to find stills or promo shots I could draw from.
This one was originally in one of my sketchbooks, but I cut it out because a gallery I was working with in San Francisco thought there might be a market for smaller, affordable works on paper. They priced it at $500, which kind of killed the sales. Eventually, they dropped me for being “too wry and perverted,” so that whole partnership fizzled out. The next show I had after that was at Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, and I named it Hamlettes on Rye as a kind of tongue-in-cheek reset.
This piece is now part of my Fresh Finds series—a project where I’m offering early works straight from my personal archive. These are original pieces I made in the '90s that were either never shown or were only exhibited briefly. I’m releasing them now because I think it’s time to let collectors and supporters have access to some of the foundations of my work. They’re one-of-a-kind, handmade, and part of the path that led me here.
Watercolor has always been one of my favorite mediums, and I credit my high school teacher Irwin “Greeny” Greenberg with teaching me how to use it. I’ve always loved how direct it is—you can’t fake your way through it. It’s all about layering washes, working quickly, and letting the pigment and paper do their thing.
This image shows two men in suits. One is seated, the other standing with a sheet of paper in hand. There’s a heavy curtain or drape behind them that softens the space. I used transparent washes of ochre, gray, and blue-violet to suggest form without overworking it. The standing figure wears a fedora, adding a bit of 1940s film noir mood.
The style is a balance between realism and abstraction. The figures are clearly human, but I stylized the faces and clothing using loose brushstrokes and minimal detail. The background is very simplified, with just enough vertical rhythm in the curtain to give it structure. The shadows and lighting help pull the forms forward, and the colors give the scene a kind of quiet tension.
The composition is asymmetrical—the two figures are offset, and the negative space around them creates a push-pull effect. There’s a subtle triangle formed between their gazes, the paper, and the seated man’s pose, which keeps your eye moving around the image.
There aren’t any obvious symbols, but the scene itself is full of suggestion. It feels like a conversation, or maybe an interrogation. The body language carries the weight. This kind of image—quiet, ambiguous, mood-heavy—runs through a lot of my work from this time. It also reflects my connection to Bay Area Figurative painting, especially the influence of Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn, who used abstracted figures and spaces to create emotional impact.
Details:
Title: Information
Year: 1993
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: approx. 9 x 12 inches
Unframed
Original work on paper
From the Fresh Finds archive release
Signed on the front
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 watercolor is called Information, and I painted it in 1993. It's about 9x12 inches, and it came out of a stretch when I was really deep into using film stills as references. I used to pause my old grainy VCR on scenes from classic films or old television and make quick studies straight from the screen. I’d also dig through thrift shops, used bookstores, and the library to find stills or promo shots I could draw from.
This one was originally in one of my sketchbooks, but I cut it out because a gallery I was working with in San Francisco thought there might be a market for smaller, affordable works on paper. They priced it at $500, which kind of killed the sales. Eventually, they dropped me for being “too wry and perverted,” so that whole partnership fizzled out. The next show I had after that was at Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, and I named it Hamlettes on Rye as a kind of tongue-in-cheek reset.
This piece is now part of my Fresh Finds series—a project where I’m offering early works straight from my personal archive. These are original pieces I made in the '90s that were either never shown or were only exhibited briefly. I’m releasing them now because I think it’s time to let collectors and supporters have access to some of the foundations of my work. They’re one-of-a-kind, handmade, and part of the path that led me here.
Watercolor has always been one of my favorite mediums, and I credit my high school teacher Irwin “Greeny” Greenberg with teaching me how to use it. I’ve always loved how direct it is—you can’t fake your way through it. It’s all about layering washes, working quickly, and letting the pigment and paper do their thing.
This image shows two men in suits. One is seated, the other standing with a sheet of paper in hand. There’s a heavy curtain or drape behind them that softens the space. I used transparent washes of ochre, gray, and blue-violet to suggest form without overworking it. The standing figure wears a fedora, adding a bit of 1940s film noir mood.
The style is a balance between realism and abstraction. The figures are clearly human, but I stylized the faces and clothing using loose brushstrokes and minimal detail. The background is very simplified, with just enough vertical rhythm in the curtain to give it structure. The shadows and lighting help pull the forms forward, and the colors give the scene a kind of quiet tension.
The composition is asymmetrical—the two figures are offset, and the negative space around them creates a push-pull effect. There’s a subtle triangle formed between their gazes, the paper, and the seated man’s pose, which keeps your eye moving around the image.
There aren’t any obvious symbols, but the scene itself is full of suggestion. It feels like a conversation, or maybe an interrogation. The body language carries the weight. This kind of image—quiet, ambiguous, mood-heavy—runs through a lot of my work from this time. It also reflects my connection to Bay Area Figurative painting, especially the influence of Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn, who used abstracted figures and spaces to create emotional impact.
Details:
Title: Information
Year: 1993
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: approx. 9 x 12 inches
Unframed
Original work on paper
From the Fresh Finds archive release
Signed on the front
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 watercolor is called Information, and I painted it in 1993. It's about 9x12 inches, and it came out of a stretch when I was really deep into using film stills as references. I used to pause my old grainy VCR on scenes from classic films or old television and make quick studies straight from the screen. I’d also dig through thrift shops, used bookstores, and the library to find stills or promo shots I could draw from.
This one was originally in one of my sketchbooks, but I cut it out because a gallery I was working with in San Francisco thought there might be a market for smaller, affordable works on paper. They priced it at $500, which kind of killed the sales. Eventually, they dropped me for being “too wry and perverted,” so that whole partnership fizzled out. The next show I had after that was at Elliott Fouts Gallery in Sacramento, and I named it Hamlettes on Rye as a kind of tongue-in-cheek reset.
This piece is now part of my Fresh Finds series—a project where I’m offering early works straight from my personal archive. These are original pieces I made in the '90s that were either never shown or were only exhibited briefly. I’m releasing them now because I think it’s time to let collectors and supporters have access to some of the foundations of my work. They’re one-of-a-kind, handmade, and part of the path that led me here.
Watercolor has always been one of my favorite mediums, and I credit my high school teacher Irwin “Greeny” Greenberg with teaching me how to use it. I’ve always loved how direct it is—you can’t fake your way through it. It’s all about layering washes, working quickly, and letting the pigment and paper do their thing.
This image shows two men in suits. One is seated, the other standing with a sheet of paper in hand. There’s a heavy curtain or drape behind them that softens the space. I used transparent washes of ochre, gray, and blue-violet to suggest form without overworking it. The standing figure wears a fedora, adding a bit of 1940s film noir mood.
The style is a balance between realism and abstraction. The figures are clearly human, but I stylized the faces and clothing using loose brushstrokes and minimal detail. The background is very simplified, with just enough vertical rhythm in the curtain to give it structure. The shadows and lighting help pull the forms forward, and the colors give the scene a kind of quiet tension.
The composition is asymmetrical—the two figures are offset, and the negative space around them creates a push-pull effect. There’s a subtle triangle formed between their gazes, the paper, and the seated man’s pose, which keeps your eye moving around the image.
There aren’t any obvious symbols, but the scene itself is full of suggestion. It feels like a conversation, or maybe an interrogation. The body language carries the weight. This kind of image—quiet, ambiguous, mood-heavy—runs through a lot of my work from this time. It also reflects my connection to Bay Area Figurative painting, especially the influence of Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn, who used abstracted figures and spaces to create emotional impact.
Details:
Title: Information
Year: 1993
Medium: Watercolor on paper
Dimensions: approx. 9 x 12 inches
Unframed
Original work on paper
From the Fresh Finds archive release
Signed on the front
