Metope, 18x18x1.5 oil on stretched canvas by Kenney Mencher
FREE SHIPPING Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago. I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
My oil painting Metope is an 18x18-inch piece on stretched canvas with a depth of 1.5 inches. The gallery-wrapped edges mean that framing isn’t necessary. The color palette is dominated by warm tones, with the background featuring intense orange and red hues that contrast with the cooler tones in the figure’s highlights. The painting depicts a nude, muscular, bearded man. His exaggerated proportions and thick application of paint give the figure a sculptural, tactile quality. The brushwork varies in texture, with thick, almost impasto areas in the highlights and thinner washes in the initial underpainting. Some of the paint is built up to nearly 2 to 3 cm in thickness, applied with both brushes and plastering knives, creating a layered, dimensional surface.
This painting is connected to the ideas behind the body positivity movement, which promotes self-acceptance regardless of how mainstream culture defines ideal body types. Over the years, I’ve struggled with aging and body image, and through painting, I found a way to explore and embrace these changes. In the gay community, particularly within the bear subculture, larger, hairier men are recognized and celebrated for their masculinity and presence. This piece reflects those themes, not just in its subject but also in its physicality—the weight of the paint mirrors the solidity of the figure.
The title Metope refers to the sculpted panels found in ancient Greek architecture, often depicting mythological or heroic figures in relief. I wanted to create a sense of permanence and structure in this work, linking the subject to a long tradition of masculine representation in art. The thick textures and bold contrasts echo classical sculpture while keeping the execution loose and expressive.
This piece is part of a series of paintings I’ve been working on since moving into a larger studio. Having more space has allowed me to experiment with scale, texture, and layering in a way I couldn’t before. Unlike my earlier, more time-restricted works, this painting was developed over several days, starting with a rough sketch in crayon before moving through layers of oil washes and eventually thicker, more opaque applications of paint. Working in this way gives the painting a sense of depth and movement, allowing the surface to evolve alongside the figure itself.
FREE SHIPPING Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago. I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
My oil painting Metope is an 18x18-inch piece on stretched canvas with a depth of 1.5 inches. The gallery-wrapped edges mean that framing isn’t necessary. The color palette is dominated by warm tones, with the background featuring intense orange and red hues that contrast with the cooler tones in the figure’s highlights. The painting depicts a nude, muscular, bearded man. His exaggerated proportions and thick application of paint give the figure a sculptural, tactile quality. The brushwork varies in texture, with thick, almost impasto areas in the highlights and thinner washes in the initial underpainting. Some of the paint is built up to nearly 2 to 3 cm in thickness, applied with both brushes and plastering knives, creating a layered, dimensional surface.
This painting is connected to the ideas behind the body positivity movement, which promotes self-acceptance regardless of how mainstream culture defines ideal body types. Over the years, I’ve struggled with aging and body image, and through painting, I found a way to explore and embrace these changes. In the gay community, particularly within the bear subculture, larger, hairier men are recognized and celebrated for their masculinity and presence. This piece reflects those themes, not just in its subject but also in its physicality—the weight of the paint mirrors the solidity of the figure.
The title Metope refers to the sculpted panels found in ancient Greek architecture, often depicting mythological or heroic figures in relief. I wanted to create a sense of permanence and structure in this work, linking the subject to a long tradition of masculine representation in art. The thick textures and bold contrasts echo classical sculpture while keeping the execution loose and expressive.
This piece is part of a series of paintings I’ve been working on since moving into a larger studio. Having more space has allowed me to experiment with scale, texture, and layering in a way I couldn’t before. Unlike my earlier, more time-restricted works, this painting was developed over several days, starting with a rough sketch in crayon before moving through layers of oil washes and eventually thicker, more opaque applications of paint. Working in this way gives the painting a sense of depth and movement, allowing the surface to evolve alongside the figure itself.
FREE SHIPPING Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks This ships from Round Lake Beach, Illinois. A suburb outside of Chicago. I use UPS and sometimes US Post.
My oil painting Metope is an 18x18-inch piece on stretched canvas with a depth of 1.5 inches. The gallery-wrapped edges mean that framing isn’t necessary. The color palette is dominated by warm tones, with the background featuring intense orange and red hues that contrast with the cooler tones in the figure’s highlights. The painting depicts a nude, muscular, bearded man. His exaggerated proportions and thick application of paint give the figure a sculptural, tactile quality. The brushwork varies in texture, with thick, almost impasto areas in the highlights and thinner washes in the initial underpainting. Some of the paint is built up to nearly 2 to 3 cm in thickness, applied with both brushes and plastering knives, creating a layered, dimensional surface.
This painting is connected to the ideas behind the body positivity movement, which promotes self-acceptance regardless of how mainstream culture defines ideal body types. Over the years, I’ve struggled with aging and body image, and through painting, I found a way to explore and embrace these changes. In the gay community, particularly within the bear subculture, larger, hairier men are recognized and celebrated for their masculinity and presence. This piece reflects those themes, not just in its subject but also in its physicality—the weight of the paint mirrors the solidity of the figure.
The title Metope refers to the sculpted panels found in ancient Greek architecture, often depicting mythological or heroic figures in relief. I wanted to create a sense of permanence and structure in this work, linking the subject to a long tradition of masculine representation in art. The thick textures and bold contrasts echo classical sculpture while keeping the execution loose and expressive.
This piece is part of a series of paintings I’ve been working on since moving into a larger studio. Having more space has allowed me to experiment with scale, texture, and layering in a way I couldn’t before. Unlike my earlier, more time-restricted works, this painting was developed over several days, starting with a rough sketch in crayon before moving through layers of oil washes and eventually thicker, more opaque applications of paint. Working in this way gives the painting a sense of depth and movement, allowing the surface to evolve alongside the figure itself.
