The Grand Gallery will the first public exhibition of Howard S. Conant’s art in Kentucky in a show that opens with a reception featuring the artist’s family from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16. The gallery will be open from 6-9 p.m.
The exhibition of Conant’s work is made possible through the generosity of his daughter, Judith Conant Steinbach, and his grandchildren.
Raised in a small Wisconsin town, Conant grew up during the Great Depression of the late 1920s.
Though his works have been shown in galleries throughout the world and continue to be displayed in banks, schools and corporate headquarters, it was late in his career that he found the perfect medium, inspiration, and method for what he considered to be his best work.
“In the paintings I have created in the past decade, the powerful influences of older art forms have become interwoven with my own emotional and intellectual concerns,” he stated.
His paintings offer a glimpse into his personal response to the experiences of his lifetime. His work is at once personal and yet universal, modern and yet timeless. In the early days he painted bucolic Wisconsin landscapes and traveled to Door County to paint fishing boats and capture the local marine seascapes.
However, it is apparent that the heart of his work was the abstract art that comprises the greatest percentage of his portfolio. He used architecture and ancient artifacts as his inspiration for geometric shapes, shadows, angles, and color to elicit the “feeling, the emotion” that he wished to capture along with the image. His art, instead of a camera, was used to catalogue where he was, who he was, and what he experienced.
Conant passed away on Feb. 20, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona. He was 89.
Conant’s exhibit will continue at the Grand Gallery through April.
During Friday’s reception and in conjunction with the Downtown Chocolate Stroll, the gallery is offering two drink specials at the cash bar “Moonstruck” Old Fashion and “Some Like It Hot” Chocolate. Beer and wine will also be available.
