Draft:Kenneth Showell

Kenneth Leroy Showell (1939-1997) was an American abstract painter and photographer best known for his work relating to Lyrical Abstraction, Color Field painting specifically Spray Painting, and Abstract Expressionism.

Biography
Showell was born in Huron, South Dakota in 1939 and later moved to Omaha, Nebraska where he spent his formative years. He received a B.F.A in 1963 from the Kansas City Art Institute and an M.F.A in 1965 from Indiana University in Bloomington. Classmates at the Art Institute included Dan Christensen, Jack Lemon of the Landfall Press, Keith Jacobshagen, and Ronnie Landfield. He moved to New York City in 1965, setting up a studio in SoHo. His early work was represented by David Whitney and appeared in exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. His work has been collected by museums such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Nebraska Art and the Blanton Museum of Art.

Like many artists at the time, he frequented Max's Kansas City, a nightclub and restaurant in lower Manhattan, an important gathering spot for poets, artists, and musicians along with gallerists like David Whitney, architect Philip Johnson, and artist Andy Warhol among many, many others. Showell was a social worker for a time, but later began working as a bartender at Fanelli Cafe, one of the oldest bars and dining establishments in New York. He was uninterested in the academic life and found that restaurants gave him the opportunity to paint, while only having to spend a few hours at work in the evening. In the mid-1970s he began to explore photography and was able to make a living taking pictures of other people's artwork for catalogs, documentation and exhibition.

Showell's work was included in a number of solo and group shows from the 1960s through the 1990s.

He died in New York City on May 10, 1997.

Career
In 1965, Showell moved to New York City, setting up a studio in the heart of the artistic enclave of SoHo. His work quickly gained attention, becoming a focal point in the critical debates on abstract painting during the late 1960s. His distinctive style, characterized by a sense of spontaneity, sensuousness, and opticality, set him apart.

During this period, Kenneth Showell gained recognition for his spray paintings, notable for their trompe l’oeil effect of appearing wrinkled when the canvas was flat. Utilizing a spray gun, a technique learned from his younger brother Don, an auto-body worker, Showell created large-scale works by balling up sections of canvas, spraying them with paint, drying and stretching them, and repeating the process. This innovative approach led to inclusion in prestigious exhibitions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art's Annual Exhibition in 1967 and 1969 and the 1971 Lyrical Abstraction exhibition.

In the early 1970s, Showell transitioned away from spray-painted canvases, seeking new avenues for exploration and innovation. His abstract works from the late '70s to early '80s continued to emphasize color, surface, opticality, and process. Notably, he embraced distorted grids, linear elements, and irregular overlaid geometric forms, demonstrating a non-systemic approach.

Kenneth Showell inadvertently established a parallel career as a photographer. Initially photographing his own artwork for documentation, other artists recognized his ability to capture the essence of a work and sought his expertise. Showell, described as enthusiastic and supportive, became a sought-after photographer in the art community, providing a unique perspective on the representation of artworks.

In the 1980s, Showell's interest expanded beyond the confines of traditional painting. He began capturing landscapes and still lifes using Hi-8 video cameras in Central Park. This unconventional approach involved focusing the camera on scenes he wanted to paint, recording until the tape ended, and then translating the images into paintings. The result was a quality of motion in inherently static subjects.

Showell's 30-year history as a painter showcased his remarkable ability to handle color across various subjects and processes. His influence on abstract painting persisted, evident in exhibitions like "High Times, Hard Times" curated by Katy Siegel in 2006 and shows like the Akron Art Museum's "The Fabricators." Regardless of the visual form, Showell maintained a consistency of conceptual thought and color resonance that defined his unique artistic identity.

Kenneth Showell passed away in the spring of 1997 at the age of 58, leaving behind a rich artistic legacy that continues to be appreciated and studied.