Polk Street – 1994 Watercolor, 12.5x14 in., Non-Local Color, Torn Sketchbook Page, Fresh Finds by Kenney Mencher
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This is a handmade work of art NOT a print
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
This watercolor is called "Polk Street" and I painted it in 1994. It’s 12.5 by 14 inches and was done on a piece of sketchbook paper that I tore out to paint on. The paper isn’t thick watercolor paper, so it’s a little warped from the paint, but once you frame it behind glass and press it, the ripples will flatten out and disappear.
At the time, I was in grad school and reflecting on an earlier part of my life. Years before, I had been married to someone who constantly gave me grief about money—she’d joke that I should go down to Polk Street and sell my ass. It wasn’t funny then, and it stuck with me. Years later, I decided to channel that memory into this piece, imagining what Polk Street might have looked like in the 1950s.
The scene itself is imagined—this wasn’t based on real life, but more on the tone and vibe of what I thought Polk Street could be. I used non-local color (colors that aren’t necessarily accurate to reality) and took a cue from Bay Area Figurative painters like Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn.
You’ll notice I sketched a box to work in, and it’s not perfectly straight—intentionally so. You can crop that out with a mat or leave it exposed for character. This was part of a bigger shift in my grad work. A gallerist told me I “drew too well,” so I tried to make the drawings a bit more awkward. Ironically, one of my grad advisors told me I didn’t draw well enough. Can’t win! But this painting came out of that moment—me figuring things out.
It’s part of my Fresh Finds project—art from my archives that hasn’t been seen or shown in nearly 30 years.
Details:
Title: Polk Street
Medium: Watercolor on sketchbook paper
Size: 12.5 x 14 inches
Year: 1994
Surface: Lightweight sketchbook paper, not traditional watercolor paper
Condition: Slight warping in paper due to paint, easily flattened under glass
Signed: Yes
Unframed
Part of the Fresh Finds archive release
FREE SHIPPING
This is a handmade work of art NOT a print
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
This watercolor is called "Polk Street" and I painted it in 1994. It’s 12.5 by 14 inches and was done on a piece of sketchbook paper that I tore out to paint on. The paper isn’t thick watercolor paper, so it’s a little warped from the paint, but once you frame it behind glass and press it, the ripples will flatten out and disappear.
At the time, I was in grad school and reflecting on an earlier part of my life. Years before, I had been married to someone who constantly gave me grief about money—she’d joke that I should go down to Polk Street and sell my ass. It wasn’t funny then, and it stuck with me. Years later, I decided to channel that memory into this piece, imagining what Polk Street might have looked like in the 1950s.
The scene itself is imagined—this wasn’t based on real life, but more on the tone and vibe of what I thought Polk Street could be. I used non-local color (colors that aren’t necessarily accurate to reality) and took a cue from Bay Area Figurative painters like Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn.
You’ll notice I sketched a box to work in, and it’s not perfectly straight—intentionally so. You can crop that out with a mat or leave it exposed for character. This was part of a bigger shift in my grad work. A gallerist told me I “drew too well,” so I tried to make the drawings a bit more awkward. Ironically, one of my grad advisors told me I didn’t draw well enough. Can’t win! But this painting came out of that moment—me figuring things out.
It’s part of my Fresh Finds project—art from my archives that hasn’t been seen or shown in nearly 30 years.
Details:
Title: Polk Street
Medium: Watercolor on sketchbook paper
Size: 12.5 x 14 inches
Year: 1994
Surface: Lightweight sketchbook paper, not traditional watercolor paper
Condition: Slight warping in paper due to paint, easily flattened under glass
Signed: Yes
Unframed
Part of the Fresh Finds archive release
FREE SHIPPING
This is a handmade work of art NOT a print
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
This watercolor is called "Polk Street" and I painted it in 1994. It’s 12.5 by 14 inches and was done on a piece of sketchbook paper that I tore out to paint on. The paper isn’t thick watercolor paper, so it’s a little warped from the paint, but once you frame it behind glass and press it, the ripples will flatten out and disappear.
At the time, I was in grad school and reflecting on an earlier part of my life. Years before, I had been married to someone who constantly gave me grief about money—she’d joke that I should go down to Polk Street and sell my ass. It wasn’t funny then, and it stuck with me. Years later, I decided to channel that memory into this piece, imagining what Polk Street might have looked like in the 1950s.
The scene itself is imagined—this wasn’t based on real life, but more on the tone and vibe of what I thought Polk Street could be. I used non-local color (colors that aren’t necessarily accurate to reality) and took a cue from Bay Area Figurative painters like Elmer Bischoff and Richard Diebenkorn.
You’ll notice I sketched a box to work in, and it’s not perfectly straight—intentionally so. You can crop that out with a mat or leave it exposed for character. This was part of a bigger shift in my grad work. A gallerist told me I “drew too well,” so I tried to make the drawings a bit more awkward. Ironically, one of my grad advisors told me I didn’t draw well enough. Can’t win! But this painting came out of that moment—me figuring things out.
It’s part of my Fresh Finds project—art from my archives that hasn’t been seen or shown in nearly 30 years.
Details:
Title: Polk Street
Medium: Watercolor on sketchbook paper
Size: 12.5 x 14 inches
Year: 1994
Surface: Lightweight sketchbook paper, not traditional watercolor paper
Condition: Slight warping in paper due to paint, easily flattened under glass
Signed: Yes
Unframed
Part of the Fresh Finds archive release
