Beginning May 13, Meyer Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, will be featuring the works of renowned artist Kim English. In approximately 10 oil paintings, English expands on past themes that depict people going about their daily lives. “To them it may be mundane, but to you, it looks totally different,” says the artist. “That can be exciting.”

English began his art career in Colorado, graduating from the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, where he subsequently became a faculty member. He then went on to teach at other prestigious institutions like the Art Students League and Scottsdale Artists’ School. Now living in Kentucky, English continues to focus on representational scenes, usually incorporating a figure and relies on his extensive travels for inspiration. “You see so many different things [when traveling],” he says. “What people wear and the way the light is.” Glass Artist, oil, 14 x 18"

English often travels with acrylics for quick studies to get a flavor of the area, and paints in plein air as much as possible. He also takes photos for later reference. “I want to feel like I’m right there when I took the photo or painted in plein air.”

While his subjects are realistic, he enjoys the looseness of his paint application. “I remember I had an art teacher that once said, ‘The real thing is the paint on canvas. That’s about as real as you can get,’” English says. “If I step over that line [to becoming very realistic] and get too much detail, it quits looking like my work and it doesn’t feel right. The figures need to fit in with the scene and that’s more important to me than the details. You have to have the viewer do some of the work.”Desert Sunset, oil, 9 x 12"

Attention to Detail, oil, 11 x 14"

English also looks for compelling light and shadow patterns when choosing a subject. He particularly enjoys the lighting found in show piece Attention to Detail, in which two male figures are repairing a boat—an enticing moment that English stumbled upon while traveling in Nepal. “The lighting was really nice, and I also like to watch people that are really concentrated on something,” he explains. “This is also one of those ‘everyday situations’—the things that become overlooked.”

Another example is seen in the piece Glass Artist, which depicts a man working in his studio, a scene English stumbled upon in France. “It was really interesting to watch him work,” English explains. “It’s way different than being a painter, seeing someone work with molten hot material. There’s also a great red glow to the hot glass he’s working with that I incorporated into the painting.”Quick Find, oil, 9 x 14"

In Quick Find,  which portrays a woman picking up objects on a Florida beach, English took a different approach to the lighting seen in the majority of his work. “I do a lot of back-lit and side-lit scenes,” he says. “This one was painted in full, front lighting. It was a nice change to paint the lighter side of things.”

Everyone is encouraged to see the pieces in person at Meyer Gallery through May 26. There will also be an opening reception on May 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. —

Meyer Gallery • 225 Canyon Road, #14 • Santa Fe, NM 87501 • (505) 983-1434 • www.meyergalleries.com 

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