Fairfield, CT - The Kershner Gallery in the Fairfield Public Library invites the public to “Shades of Abstraction”, a reception for the artwork of J. Neil Bittner and Michael Brennecke on Thursday, August 31, from 5:30 to 7:30pm. The artists will talk about their work at 6pm. The show can be seen from August 26 to October 21 during library hours. For questions, email bskgallery@gmail.com or call 203-246-9065. Fairfield Public Library, 1080 Old Post Road in Fairfield.
J. Neil Bittner has the equivalent of an Associate Degree in Industrial Design and a Bachelor Degree in Art Education from Bridgeport University, and a Master of Arts and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting and Printmaking from Michigan State University. Additional studies included Color Photography at Bridgeport University, Graphic Design at Post Perfect in NYC and Graphic Design at Lehigh University.
Neil states, “I believe a work of Fine Art should stand on its own merits, not its exhibition history. As an example, I believe Van Gogh only exhibited in his brother Theo's gallery and was rejected from all the established galleries at the time. After experiencing eight decades of evolution through the portal of art, I have concluded that art is love. Your Passion should stir the soul, evoke emotion, arouse your heart. The artist should bring forth creativity, push the envelope, believe in something, change the world. In my work, I tell a story, transcending time, to create a moment to change people’s thoughts and values, and to cause a full spectrum of reactions -- sometimes pleasant, sometimes disturbing. I believe an artist should take risks, exceed people’s expectations.”
With professional artists in the family, Michael Brennecke started drawing and painting very early. He attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and received a BFA from Tufts. After briefly teaching, at a Newton, MA, middle school, he worked in advertising and continued painting at home. Now he paints full time.
Michael shows continuously in the area as a member of the Silvermine Guild, The Ridgefield Guild, Carriage Barn (New Canaan), Rowayton Art Center and the Artists Collective of Westport. He had recent solo shows at the Keyes Gallery in Stony Creek and The Westport Library. He has also shown at the Gordon Gallery in Westport.
Michael states, “My work is abstracted from impressions of nature: geological, vegetative and figurative. The compositions are amalgams of organic, sometimes convoluted textures and light, of both land and water. I experiment and push the properties of oil paint to emulate the seeming accidents and intricacies of the natural world. What results is what I sometimes call mental landscapes. I like the fact that people have different perceptions of what they see in my paintings...”
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