Matthias Kern Print Show at RAG
Master printmaker Matthias Kern will exhibit a selection of recent works at The Old Bank Gallery of The Roxbury Arts Group from April 14 through May 20. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 14th from 2-4. Kern will give a free hands-on workshop on Saturday April 28 from 2-4 pm in which participants will create an image in the relief printmaking technique of linocut . The workshop is limited to 8 people and pre-registration is essential. Call (607) 326-7908.
Kern, who has a week-end home in Andes, was born in Celle, a small German
city south of Hamburg and studied with several well-known German artists
and printmakers.
In the mid 1980’s, he became associated with other artists and held group shows in and around Celle and other German cities. In 1989 he had his first solo show, which brought him considerable notoriety and lead his work to be presented more widely. As the early 1990’s progressed, so did Kern’s work. He continued to attend art classes and hold more shows, both group and solo. He presented work all over Germany including shows in Hannover, Hamburg and Tecklenburg.
After moving to the United States and settling in New York, he had his first show in the DUMBO Art Festival in Brooklyn. Since then, he has had two solo shows in New York City. His work was noted as being a “very well needed entry onto the New York art scene.” He also curated an art show at City College of New York assisting Japanese American artist, Michi Itami.
Over the years, Kern has experimented with various artistic expressions including watercolor, acrylic and pastel, as well as print making. He enjoys working in the older printmaking techniques as well as more modern techniques of intaglio, encompassing dry point, aquatint, mezzotint, line etching, silk screen, monotype and woodcut.
The show at the Roxbury Arts Group will include different printmaking techniques, but mainly etchings, monotypes, some woodcuts and silk screens. Most of his inspiration comes from the surroundings of the Catskills and Andes, where he owns a house with his partner and another couple.
His vision is to achieve with his art feelings that we all have experienced,
and to allow his audience to personalize those emotions to mean something
specific for them.
In a review of Kern’s work in the magazine Inside
Out, Pat Horner said,
“Kern’s art has a lively, fresh temperament that is characterized
by a surprising inventiveness that combines abstraction and representation
in an intuitive way”
The Old Bank Gallery is open Mon,-Fri. from 10-4, Sat. 1-4 and Sun. 10-2 and by appointment. Call (607) 326-7908.