Powerful Hairy Thick Nude Man with a Beard, 18x24 inches oil on canvas panel by Kenney Mencher
$600.00
Sold Out
FREE SHIPPING
THIS WORK IS ORIGINAL (NOT A PRINT OR GICLEE)
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
The key to getting this painting is that I've tried to crop down on to the figure so that the most compelling, interesting or appealing elements are highlighted: his beard, chest hair and his six pack. I guess he really has an eight pack. I've also made the figure kiss the edges of the composition to make it more active.
In particular I try to approach painting in several ways, I want the drawing skills, color, and anatomy to be accurate but I also try to make the compositions more interesting by avoiding a “bull’s eye” (symmetrical) composition in favor of a more exciting slightly off center or “asymmetrical” composition.
I use a compositional device called the "rule of thirds." The rule of thirds is a guideline for both artists and photographers. It says that if you divide your composition into thirds, either vertically or horizontally, and then place focal areas of your scene at the meeting points of them, you will get a more pleasing arrangement and layout for your compositions.
This painting was done in the "alla prima" method. The alla prima is an Italian phrase that means 'at first attempt'. It refers to a wet-on-wet approach whereby wet paint is applied to previous layers of still-wet paint, often in a single sitting. Over the years, the technique has been adopted and adapted by artists from Van Gogh to Velázquez.
I’m also attempting to work with brush work and thick and thin paint in a more stylized and calligraphic way. I want the paint to be thickest where the light is the brightest and thinner in the darker areas. The direction of the brush strokes is meant to follow and amplify the contours of the forms and make it feel more tangible.
The subject matter of most of my work is usually blatantly homoerotic or at the very least queer. I’m trying to ally with other queer and gay creators in representing people who are often marginalized by the rest of the world and make art that speaks to a community that often is silenced.
This male portrait of a very masculine sexy hairy man is an original painting. I mainly make art about gay bears and other types of art for the queer community. A lot of my art revolves around the portrayal of heroic older bearish or bullish men. In my paintings I'm trying to communicate about body positivity and the beauty of the heroic male "bear."
Many straight folks are unaware of the bear subculture. Hardly a surprise, since a powerful majority rarely concerns itself with the doings of a marginalized minority. When, three or four years ago, I first mentioned bears to my straight friends, none of them knew what I was talking about, though by now at least one of them calls me “The Bear.” Similarly, my heterosexual students, as expert as they might be on current media, seem equally ignorant about this topic.
Most GLBT folks, however, by now seem to know the basics. A “bear” is a hairy, bearded, brawny-to-bulky gay man, usually displaying aspects of traditional masculinity. A cub is a younger version of the same; a wolf is a lean, hairy man; an otter a young version of that. “Woof!” is a lustful expression, meaning essentially: “Tasty! I’d like to climb all over that!” “Grrrrr!” means much the same. As you can see, after twenty-some years of development, the bear community, like any subculture, has its own jargon, sometimes called “bearspeak” or “vocabulary.” It also has its own values, its own style, and its own commodities. There are bear-oriented bars, festivals, music, movies, magazines, and books. There are regional clubs for bears not only in metropolitan centers, where the communities first developed, but also in rural areas.
Information about the artist Kenney Mencher.
I was born in Brooklyn February of 1965. During much of my childhood I lived in Brooklyn, the Bronx, upstate NY, Sarasota, Florida and Manhattan. (Both my mother and father divorced and remarried.) The real hero of my childhood is my older brother Marc who literally changed my diapers, acted as my protector and as my role model.
I started to learn to paint and draw when I was six or seven years old and was convinced that I would be an artist from that age on.
As a teen at the High School of Art and Design I got my best training in Irwin Greenberg’s class where he taught me how to draw, oil paint and watercolor. I also attended classes at the Cooper Union and Art Students League.
My parents threw me out in my senior year of high school, so I earned my GED and worked construction on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was a rough time but my older brother and his partner Kirk rescued me by inviting me to move with them to Cincinnati, Ohio to live and study. While a college student, I worked in restaurants and painted as much as I could. After a year at the University of Cincinnati, I went back to the Bronx where I finished college at CUNY Lehman. Lehman is a fantastic college.
After completing my undergraduate studies, I lived in California and then Ohio completing my two masters’ degrees in Art History and Studio Art. After school I was lucky enough to have dual careers as an exhibiting artist and tenured professor.
In 2014 I began to work on paintings with a strong homoerotic content. Despite excellent sales and well received shows, the galleries I worked with wouldn’t show my new queer work, so I’ve been successfully working mainly directly with my collectors. This change has freed me and allowed me to focus on themes and subjects that, in the past, were rejected or resulted in censorship.
Things are going great! In 2016, after eighteen years of teaching art history and studio courses, I resigned a tenured professorship to pursue painting full time.
EDUCATION
1993-1995 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
MFA Painting
1991-1994 University of California, Davis, CA
MA Art History
1988-1991 City University of New York, Bronx, NY
Magna Cum Laude; BA Art History
1988 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
1981-1985 Art Students' League, Manhattan, NY
1978-1982 Art & Design High School, Manhattan, NY
EMPLOYMENT
1999-2016 Associate Professor of Art & Art History, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
1998-1999 Instructor of Art History & Western Civilization, San Francisco University High School
1996-1998 Assistant Professor of Art & Art History, Texas A&M University, Laredo, TX
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Lone Star Saloon, San Francisco, CA
It’s All About the Bears
2016 Tracy Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
The Convict and the Boy, A Graphic Novel and Installation by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Art Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2008 Sequential Art Gallery, Portland, OR
Cads and Coquettes
2008 Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
Lovers and Liars
2007 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Faces and Farces
2007 Gallery 2611, Redwood City, CA
Clichés and Characters
2006 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Kenney Mencher: Recent Work
2006 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Apperceptions and Allegories
2006 Norton Studio Gallery, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
Being There
2006 Esteban Sabar Gallery, Oakland, CA
Similes and Sayings
2005 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Hamlettes on Wry
2005 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA
2004 Louie-Meager Art Gallery, Gary Soren Smith Center, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Dress Code
2004 STRS Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1997 Laredo Center for the Arts, Laredo, TX
Noir Images (Solo Show)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Men's Room
2010 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Go Figure
2010 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Resurgence
2009 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
In Black and White: Monochromatic Paintings by Kenney Mencher and Caroline Meyer
2008 Art Museum of Los Gatos, CA
Sex, Politics and Misogyny, Peter Langenbach and Kenney Mencher
2006-07 Klaudia Marr, Santa Fe, NM
14th Annual Realism Invitational
13th Annual Realism Invitational
2006 Triton Art Museum, Santa Clara, CA
Beyond the Likeness: Self Portraits by California Artists
2003 Hang Gallery Palo Alto, CA
One More Thing Before I Go
1999 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
First Annual Realism Invitational
2001 Craighead-Green, Dallas, TX
Kenney Mencher and Connie Connally
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Small Works
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Nancy Switzer, Milt Kobayashi, and Kenney Mencher
_______________________________________________________________
Ratings and Reviews
Michael
Rated 5 out of 5
Many thanks . Great shipping and and came with a personalized note and a bonus painting . Love Kenney and his wonderful art .
Joshua
Rated 5 out of 5
Shipped much faster than expected! As always, Kenney’s work is stunning and captures the male figure in such a beautiful way. I bought the figure drawing on the right (an original piece of his) and this print complimented it so well.
Brian O'CONNOR
Rated 5 out of 5
Absolutely beautiful! Amazingly beautiful, thank you!
markemoody435
Rated 5 out of 5
Arrived quickly and well packaged. This is my second purchase from this artist--very pleased again!
Yihao
Rated 5 out of 5
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Another incredible piece of artwork in my home from the talented and kind Kenney Mencher! I am so pleased to have added this to my collection of work from him, and he is such a delight to interact with. I highly recommend his work!
Kevin
Rated 5 out of 5
Even more beautiful in person! Amazing artist!!!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
As usual, Kenney's artwork is warm AND hot. I love the piece and it looks better in person than on the screen. Thanks!
jkarceski
Rated 5 out of 5
Amazing painting! Thank you! I love it!
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Nice price of art. Thanks.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
So happy I was able to purchase this treasure. Great addition to my collection. Marvelous artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic art and artist. Love.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Very nice quality and great artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic! Great artist. Collected his art for years. Postcards make it fun to share with others.
Art
Rated 5 out of 5
Another amazing painting to add to my Kenney Mencher collection. I look forward to getting it framed and adding it to my gallery wall.
Leslie
Rated 5 out of 5
I bet the original is amazing, I’m happy to have a copy for my wall. It’s great.
Morgan
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenny is the best! Love his work and he’s as kind as he is talented!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
I love, love, LOVE this painting! Thank you Kenney!
PoojiDung
Rated 5 out of 5
Beautiful art! I can’t believe I own it. Both paintings look even better in person. The piece “Vacation” Is larger than described (almost 6’ tall rather than the 5’ listed). Communication was fantastic, shipping was smooth, and delivery went off without a hitch. Seller included some small prints and documentation before the paintings could be shipped and also sent a personalized water color in advance. Thank you, Kenney!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Lovely print from Kenney Mencher. My only regret is not having been able to purchase the original!
THIS WORK IS ORIGINAL (NOT A PRINT OR GICLEE)
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
The key to getting this painting is that I've tried to crop down on to the figure so that the most compelling, interesting or appealing elements are highlighted: his beard, chest hair and his six pack. I guess he really has an eight pack. I've also made the figure kiss the edges of the composition to make it more active.
In particular I try to approach painting in several ways, I want the drawing skills, color, and anatomy to be accurate but I also try to make the compositions more interesting by avoiding a “bull’s eye” (symmetrical) composition in favor of a more exciting slightly off center or “asymmetrical” composition.
I use a compositional device called the "rule of thirds." The rule of thirds is a guideline for both artists and photographers. It says that if you divide your composition into thirds, either vertically or horizontally, and then place focal areas of your scene at the meeting points of them, you will get a more pleasing arrangement and layout for your compositions.
This painting was done in the "alla prima" method. The alla prima is an Italian phrase that means 'at first attempt'. It refers to a wet-on-wet approach whereby wet paint is applied to previous layers of still-wet paint, often in a single sitting. Over the years, the technique has been adopted and adapted by artists from Van Gogh to Velázquez.
I’m also attempting to work with brush work and thick and thin paint in a more stylized and calligraphic way. I want the paint to be thickest where the light is the brightest and thinner in the darker areas. The direction of the brush strokes is meant to follow and amplify the contours of the forms and make it feel more tangible.
The subject matter of most of my work is usually blatantly homoerotic or at the very least queer. I’m trying to ally with other queer and gay creators in representing people who are often marginalized by the rest of the world and make art that speaks to a community that often is silenced.
This male portrait of a very masculine sexy hairy man is an original painting. I mainly make art about gay bears and other types of art for the queer community. A lot of my art revolves around the portrayal of heroic older bearish or bullish men. In my paintings I'm trying to communicate about body positivity and the beauty of the heroic male "bear."
Many straight folks are unaware of the bear subculture. Hardly a surprise, since a powerful majority rarely concerns itself with the doings of a marginalized minority. When, three or four years ago, I first mentioned bears to my straight friends, none of them knew what I was talking about, though by now at least one of them calls me “The Bear.” Similarly, my heterosexual students, as expert as they might be on current media, seem equally ignorant about this topic.
Most GLBT folks, however, by now seem to know the basics. A “bear” is a hairy, bearded, brawny-to-bulky gay man, usually displaying aspects of traditional masculinity. A cub is a younger version of the same; a wolf is a lean, hairy man; an otter a young version of that. “Woof!” is a lustful expression, meaning essentially: “Tasty! I’d like to climb all over that!” “Grrrrr!” means much the same. As you can see, after twenty-some years of development, the bear community, like any subculture, has its own jargon, sometimes called “bearspeak” or “vocabulary.” It also has its own values, its own style, and its own commodities. There are bear-oriented bars, festivals, music, movies, magazines, and books. There are regional clubs for bears not only in metropolitan centers, where the communities first developed, but also in rural areas.
Information about the artist Kenney Mencher.
I was born in Brooklyn February of 1965. During much of my childhood I lived in Brooklyn, the Bronx, upstate NY, Sarasota, Florida and Manhattan. (Both my mother and father divorced and remarried.) The real hero of my childhood is my older brother Marc who literally changed my diapers, acted as my protector and as my role model.
I started to learn to paint and draw when I was six or seven years old and was convinced that I would be an artist from that age on.
As a teen at the High School of Art and Design I got my best training in Irwin Greenberg’s class where he taught me how to draw, oil paint and watercolor. I also attended classes at the Cooper Union and Art Students League.
My parents threw me out in my senior year of high school, so I earned my GED and worked construction on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was a rough time but my older brother and his partner Kirk rescued me by inviting me to move with them to Cincinnati, Ohio to live and study. While a college student, I worked in restaurants and painted as much as I could. After a year at the University of Cincinnati, I went back to the Bronx where I finished college at CUNY Lehman. Lehman is a fantastic college.
After completing my undergraduate studies, I lived in California and then Ohio completing my two masters’ degrees in Art History and Studio Art. After school I was lucky enough to have dual careers as an exhibiting artist and tenured professor.
In 2014 I began to work on paintings with a strong homoerotic content. Despite excellent sales and well received shows, the galleries I worked with wouldn’t show my new queer work, so I’ve been successfully working mainly directly with my collectors. This change has freed me and allowed me to focus on themes and subjects that, in the past, were rejected or resulted in censorship.
Things are going great! In 2016, after eighteen years of teaching art history and studio courses, I resigned a tenured professorship to pursue painting full time.
EDUCATION
1993-1995 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
MFA Painting
1991-1994 University of California, Davis, CA
MA Art History
1988-1991 City University of New York, Bronx, NY
Magna Cum Laude; BA Art History
1988 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
1981-1985 Art Students' League, Manhattan, NY
1978-1982 Art & Design High School, Manhattan, NY
EMPLOYMENT
1999-2016 Associate Professor of Art & Art History, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
1998-1999 Instructor of Art History & Western Civilization, San Francisco University High School
1996-1998 Assistant Professor of Art & Art History, Texas A&M University, Laredo, TX
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Lone Star Saloon, San Francisco, CA
It’s All About the Bears
2016 Tracy Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
The Convict and the Boy, A Graphic Novel and Installation by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Art Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2008 Sequential Art Gallery, Portland, OR
Cads and Coquettes
2008 Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
Lovers and Liars
2007 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Faces and Farces
2007 Gallery 2611, Redwood City, CA
Clichés and Characters
2006 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Kenney Mencher: Recent Work
2006 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Apperceptions and Allegories
2006 Norton Studio Gallery, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
Being There
2006 Esteban Sabar Gallery, Oakland, CA
Similes and Sayings
2005 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Hamlettes on Wry
2005 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA
2004 Louie-Meager Art Gallery, Gary Soren Smith Center, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Dress Code
2004 STRS Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1997 Laredo Center for the Arts, Laredo, TX
Noir Images (Solo Show)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Men's Room
2010 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Go Figure
2010 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Resurgence
2009 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
In Black and White: Monochromatic Paintings by Kenney Mencher and Caroline Meyer
2008 Art Museum of Los Gatos, CA
Sex, Politics and Misogyny, Peter Langenbach and Kenney Mencher
2006-07 Klaudia Marr, Santa Fe, NM
14th Annual Realism Invitational
13th Annual Realism Invitational
2006 Triton Art Museum, Santa Clara, CA
Beyond the Likeness: Self Portraits by California Artists
2003 Hang Gallery Palo Alto, CA
One More Thing Before I Go
1999 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
First Annual Realism Invitational
2001 Craighead-Green, Dallas, TX
Kenney Mencher and Connie Connally
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Small Works
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Nancy Switzer, Milt Kobayashi, and Kenney Mencher
_______________________________________________________________
Ratings and Reviews
Michael
Rated 5 out of 5
Many thanks . Great shipping and and came with a personalized note and a bonus painting . Love Kenney and his wonderful art .
Joshua
Rated 5 out of 5
Shipped much faster than expected! As always, Kenney’s work is stunning and captures the male figure in such a beautiful way. I bought the figure drawing on the right (an original piece of his) and this print complimented it so well.
Brian O'CONNOR
Rated 5 out of 5
Absolutely beautiful! Amazingly beautiful, thank you!
markemoody435
Rated 5 out of 5
Arrived quickly and well packaged. This is my second purchase from this artist--very pleased again!
Yihao
Rated 5 out of 5
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Another incredible piece of artwork in my home from the talented and kind Kenney Mencher! I am so pleased to have added this to my collection of work from him, and he is such a delight to interact with. I highly recommend his work!
Kevin
Rated 5 out of 5
Even more beautiful in person! Amazing artist!!!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
As usual, Kenney's artwork is warm AND hot. I love the piece and it looks better in person than on the screen. Thanks!
jkarceski
Rated 5 out of 5
Amazing painting! Thank you! I love it!
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Nice price of art. Thanks.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
So happy I was able to purchase this treasure. Great addition to my collection. Marvelous artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic art and artist. Love.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Very nice quality and great artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic! Great artist. Collected his art for years. Postcards make it fun to share with others.
Art
Rated 5 out of 5
Another amazing painting to add to my Kenney Mencher collection. I look forward to getting it framed and adding it to my gallery wall.
Leslie
Rated 5 out of 5
I bet the original is amazing, I’m happy to have a copy for my wall. It’s great.
Morgan
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenny is the best! Love his work and he’s as kind as he is talented!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
I love, love, LOVE this painting! Thank you Kenney!
PoojiDung
Rated 5 out of 5
Beautiful art! I can’t believe I own it. Both paintings look even better in person. The piece “Vacation” Is larger than described (almost 6’ tall rather than the 5’ listed). Communication was fantastic, shipping was smooth, and delivery went off without a hitch. Seller included some small prints and documentation before the paintings could be shipped and also sent a personalized water color in advance. Thank you, Kenney!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Lovely print from Kenney Mencher. My only regret is not having been able to purchase the original!
FREE SHIPPING
THIS WORK IS ORIGINAL (NOT A PRINT OR GICLEE)
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
The key to getting this painting is that I've tried to crop down on to the figure so that the most compelling, interesting or appealing elements are highlighted: his beard, chest hair and his six pack. I guess he really has an eight pack. I've also made the figure kiss the edges of the composition to make it more active.
In particular I try to approach painting in several ways, I want the drawing skills, color, and anatomy to be accurate but I also try to make the compositions more interesting by avoiding a “bull’s eye” (symmetrical) composition in favor of a more exciting slightly off center or “asymmetrical” composition.
I use a compositional device called the "rule of thirds." The rule of thirds is a guideline for both artists and photographers. It says that if you divide your composition into thirds, either vertically or horizontally, and then place focal areas of your scene at the meeting points of them, you will get a more pleasing arrangement and layout for your compositions.
This painting was done in the "alla prima" method. The alla prima is an Italian phrase that means 'at first attempt'. It refers to a wet-on-wet approach whereby wet paint is applied to previous layers of still-wet paint, often in a single sitting. Over the years, the technique has been adopted and adapted by artists from Van Gogh to Velázquez.
I’m also attempting to work with brush work and thick and thin paint in a more stylized and calligraphic way. I want the paint to be thickest where the light is the brightest and thinner in the darker areas. The direction of the brush strokes is meant to follow and amplify the contours of the forms and make it feel more tangible.
The subject matter of most of my work is usually blatantly homoerotic or at the very least queer. I’m trying to ally with other queer and gay creators in representing people who are often marginalized by the rest of the world and make art that speaks to a community that often is silenced.
This male portrait of a very masculine sexy hairy man is an original painting. I mainly make art about gay bears and other types of art for the queer community. A lot of my art revolves around the portrayal of heroic older bearish or bullish men. In my paintings I'm trying to communicate about body positivity and the beauty of the heroic male "bear."
Many straight folks are unaware of the bear subculture. Hardly a surprise, since a powerful majority rarely concerns itself with the doings of a marginalized minority. When, three or four years ago, I first mentioned bears to my straight friends, none of them knew what I was talking about, though by now at least one of them calls me “The Bear.” Similarly, my heterosexual students, as expert as they might be on current media, seem equally ignorant about this topic.
Most GLBT folks, however, by now seem to know the basics. A “bear” is a hairy, bearded, brawny-to-bulky gay man, usually displaying aspects of traditional masculinity. A cub is a younger version of the same; a wolf is a lean, hairy man; an otter a young version of that. “Woof!” is a lustful expression, meaning essentially: “Tasty! I’d like to climb all over that!” “Grrrrr!” means much the same. As you can see, after twenty-some years of development, the bear community, like any subculture, has its own jargon, sometimes called “bearspeak” or “vocabulary.” It also has its own values, its own style, and its own commodities. There are bear-oriented bars, festivals, music, movies, magazines, and books. There are regional clubs for bears not only in metropolitan centers, where the communities first developed, but also in rural areas.
Information about the artist Kenney Mencher.
I was born in Brooklyn February of 1965. During much of my childhood I lived in Brooklyn, the Bronx, upstate NY, Sarasota, Florida and Manhattan. (Both my mother and father divorced and remarried.) The real hero of my childhood is my older brother Marc who literally changed my diapers, acted as my protector and as my role model.
I started to learn to paint and draw when I was six or seven years old and was convinced that I would be an artist from that age on.
As a teen at the High School of Art and Design I got my best training in Irwin Greenberg’s class where he taught me how to draw, oil paint and watercolor. I also attended classes at the Cooper Union and Art Students League.
My parents threw me out in my senior year of high school, so I earned my GED and worked construction on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was a rough time but my older brother and his partner Kirk rescued me by inviting me to move with them to Cincinnati, Ohio to live and study. While a college student, I worked in restaurants and painted as much as I could. After a year at the University of Cincinnati, I went back to the Bronx where I finished college at CUNY Lehman. Lehman is a fantastic college.
After completing my undergraduate studies, I lived in California and then Ohio completing my two masters’ degrees in Art History and Studio Art. After school I was lucky enough to have dual careers as an exhibiting artist and tenured professor.
In 2014 I began to work on paintings with a strong homoerotic content. Despite excellent sales and well received shows, the galleries I worked with wouldn’t show my new queer work, so I’ve been successfully working mainly directly with my collectors. This change has freed me and allowed me to focus on themes and subjects that, in the past, were rejected or resulted in censorship.
Things are going great! In 2016, after eighteen years of teaching art history and studio courses, I resigned a tenured professorship to pursue painting full time.
EDUCATION
1993-1995 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
MFA Painting
1991-1994 University of California, Davis, CA
MA Art History
1988-1991 City University of New York, Bronx, NY
Magna Cum Laude; BA Art History
1988 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
1981-1985 Art Students' League, Manhattan, NY
1978-1982 Art & Design High School, Manhattan, NY
EMPLOYMENT
1999-2016 Associate Professor of Art & Art History, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
1998-1999 Instructor of Art History & Western Civilization, San Francisco University High School
1996-1998 Assistant Professor of Art & Art History, Texas A&M University, Laredo, TX
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Lone Star Saloon, San Francisco, CA
It’s All About the Bears
2016 Tracy Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
The Convict and the Boy, A Graphic Novel and Installation by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Art Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2008 Sequential Art Gallery, Portland, OR
Cads and Coquettes
2008 Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
Lovers and Liars
2007 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Faces and Farces
2007 Gallery 2611, Redwood City, CA
Clichés and Characters
2006 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Kenney Mencher: Recent Work
2006 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Apperceptions and Allegories
2006 Norton Studio Gallery, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
Being There
2006 Esteban Sabar Gallery, Oakland, CA
Similes and Sayings
2005 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Hamlettes on Wry
2005 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA
2004 Louie-Meager Art Gallery, Gary Soren Smith Center, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Dress Code
2004 STRS Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1997 Laredo Center for the Arts, Laredo, TX
Noir Images (Solo Show)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Men's Room
2010 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Go Figure
2010 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Resurgence
2009 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
In Black and White: Monochromatic Paintings by Kenney Mencher and Caroline Meyer
2008 Art Museum of Los Gatos, CA
Sex, Politics and Misogyny, Peter Langenbach and Kenney Mencher
2006-07 Klaudia Marr, Santa Fe, NM
14th Annual Realism Invitational
13th Annual Realism Invitational
2006 Triton Art Museum, Santa Clara, CA
Beyond the Likeness: Self Portraits by California Artists
2003 Hang Gallery Palo Alto, CA
One More Thing Before I Go
1999 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
First Annual Realism Invitational
2001 Craighead-Green, Dallas, TX
Kenney Mencher and Connie Connally
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Small Works
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Nancy Switzer, Milt Kobayashi, and Kenney Mencher
_______________________________________________________________
Ratings and Reviews
Michael
Rated 5 out of 5
Many thanks . Great shipping and and came with a personalized note and a bonus painting . Love Kenney and his wonderful art .
Joshua
Rated 5 out of 5
Shipped much faster than expected! As always, Kenney’s work is stunning and captures the male figure in such a beautiful way. I bought the figure drawing on the right (an original piece of his) and this print complimented it so well.
Brian O'CONNOR
Rated 5 out of 5
Absolutely beautiful! Amazingly beautiful, thank you!
markemoody435
Rated 5 out of 5
Arrived quickly and well packaged. This is my second purchase from this artist--very pleased again!
Yihao
Rated 5 out of 5
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Another incredible piece of artwork in my home from the talented and kind Kenney Mencher! I am so pleased to have added this to my collection of work from him, and he is such a delight to interact with. I highly recommend his work!
Kevin
Rated 5 out of 5
Even more beautiful in person! Amazing artist!!!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
As usual, Kenney's artwork is warm AND hot. I love the piece and it looks better in person than on the screen. Thanks!
jkarceski
Rated 5 out of 5
Amazing painting! Thank you! I love it!
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Nice price of art. Thanks.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
So happy I was able to purchase this treasure. Great addition to my collection. Marvelous artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic art and artist. Love.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Very nice quality and great artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic! Great artist. Collected his art for years. Postcards make it fun to share with others.
Art
Rated 5 out of 5
Another amazing painting to add to my Kenney Mencher collection. I look forward to getting it framed and adding it to my gallery wall.
Leslie
Rated 5 out of 5
I bet the original is amazing, I’m happy to have a copy for my wall. It’s great.
Morgan
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenny is the best! Love his work and he’s as kind as he is talented!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
I love, love, LOVE this painting! Thank you Kenney!
PoojiDung
Rated 5 out of 5
Beautiful art! I can’t believe I own it. Both paintings look even better in person. The piece “Vacation” Is larger than described (almost 6’ tall rather than the 5’ listed). Communication was fantastic, shipping was smooth, and delivery went off without a hitch. Seller included some small prints and documentation before the paintings could be shipped and also sent a personalized water color in advance. Thank you, Kenney!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Lovely print from Kenney Mencher. My only regret is not having been able to purchase the original!
THIS WORK IS ORIGINAL (NOT A PRINT OR GICLEE)
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
The key to getting this painting is that I've tried to crop down on to the figure so that the most compelling, interesting or appealing elements are highlighted: his beard, chest hair and his six pack. I guess he really has an eight pack. I've also made the figure kiss the edges of the composition to make it more active.
In particular I try to approach painting in several ways, I want the drawing skills, color, and anatomy to be accurate but I also try to make the compositions more interesting by avoiding a “bull’s eye” (symmetrical) composition in favor of a more exciting slightly off center or “asymmetrical” composition.
I use a compositional device called the "rule of thirds." The rule of thirds is a guideline for both artists and photographers. It says that if you divide your composition into thirds, either vertically or horizontally, and then place focal areas of your scene at the meeting points of them, you will get a more pleasing arrangement and layout for your compositions.
This painting was done in the "alla prima" method. The alla prima is an Italian phrase that means 'at first attempt'. It refers to a wet-on-wet approach whereby wet paint is applied to previous layers of still-wet paint, often in a single sitting. Over the years, the technique has been adopted and adapted by artists from Van Gogh to Velázquez.
I’m also attempting to work with brush work and thick and thin paint in a more stylized and calligraphic way. I want the paint to be thickest where the light is the brightest and thinner in the darker areas. The direction of the brush strokes is meant to follow and amplify the contours of the forms and make it feel more tangible.
The subject matter of most of my work is usually blatantly homoerotic or at the very least queer. I’m trying to ally with other queer and gay creators in representing people who are often marginalized by the rest of the world and make art that speaks to a community that often is silenced.
This male portrait of a very masculine sexy hairy man is an original painting. I mainly make art about gay bears and other types of art for the queer community. A lot of my art revolves around the portrayal of heroic older bearish or bullish men. In my paintings I'm trying to communicate about body positivity and the beauty of the heroic male "bear."
Many straight folks are unaware of the bear subculture. Hardly a surprise, since a powerful majority rarely concerns itself with the doings of a marginalized minority. When, three or four years ago, I first mentioned bears to my straight friends, none of them knew what I was talking about, though by now at least one of them calls me “The Bear.” Similarly, my heterosexual students, as expert as they might be on current media, seem equally ignorant about this topic.
Most GLBT folks, however, by now seem to know the basics. A “bear” is a hairy, bearded, brawny-to-bulky gay man, usually displaying aspects of traditional masculinity. A cub is a younger version of the same; a wolf is a lean, hairy man; an otter a young version of that. “Woof!” is a lustful expression, meaning essentially: “Tasty! I’d like to climb all over that!” “Grrrrr!” means much the same. As you can see, after twenty-some years of development, the bear community, like any subculture, has its own jargon, sometimes called “bearspeak” or “vocabulary.” It also has its own values, its own style, and its own commodities. There are bear-oriented bars, festivals, music, movies, magazines, and books. There are regional clubs for bears not only in metropolitan centers, where the communities first developed, but also in rural areas.
Information about the artist Kenney Mencher.
I was born in Brooklyn February of 1965. During much of my childhood I lived in Brooklyn, the Bronx, upstate NY, Sarasota, Florida and Manhattan. (Both my mother and father divorced and remarried.) The real hero of my childhood is my older brother Marc who literally changed my diapers, acted as my protector and as my role model.
I started to learn to paint and draw when I was six or seven years old and was convinced that I would be an artist from that age on.
As a teen at the High School of Art and Design I got my best training in Irwin Greenberg’s class where he taught me how to draw, oil paint and watercolor. I also attended classes at the Cooper Union and Art Students League.
My parents threw me out in my senior year of high school, so I earned my GED and worked construction on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was a rough time but my older brother and his partner Kirk rescued me by inviting me to move with them to Cincinnati, Ohio to live and study. While a college student, I worked in restaurants and painted as much as I could. After a year at the University of Cincinnati, I went back to the Bronx where I finished college at CUNY Lehman. Lehman is a fantastic college.
After completing my undergraduate studies, I lived in California and then Ohio completing my two masters’ degrees in Art History and Studio Art. After school I was lucky enough to have dual careers as an exhibiting artist and tenured professor.
In 2014 I began to work on paintings with a strong homoerotic content. Despite excellent sales and well received shows, the galleries I worked with wouldn’t show my new queer work, so I’ve been successfully working mainly directly with my collectors. This change has freed me and allowed me to focus on themes and subjects that, in the past, were rejected or resulted in censorship.
Things are going great! In 2016, after eighteen years of teaching art history and studio courses, I resigned a tenured professorship to pursue painting full time.
EDUCATION
1993-1995 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
MFA Painting
1991-1994 University of California, Davis, CA
MA Art History
1988-1991 City University of New York, Bronx, NY
Magna Cum Laude; BA Art History
1988 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
1981-1985 Art Students' League, Manhattan, NY
1978-1982 Art & Design High School, Manhattan, NY
EMPLOYMENT
1999-2016 Associate Professor of Art & Art History, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
1998-1999 Instructor of Art History & Western Civilization, San Francisco University High School
1996-1998 Assistant Professor of Art & Art History, Texas A&M University, Laredo, TX
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Lone Star Saloon, San Francisco, CA
It’s All About the Bears
2016 Tracy Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
The Convict and the Boy, A Graphic Novel and Installation by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Art Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2008 Sequential Art Gallery, Portland, OR
Cads and Coquettes
2008 Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
Lovers and Liars
2007 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Faces and Farces
2007 Gallery 2611, Redwood City, CA
Clichés and Characters
2006 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Kenney Mencher: Recent Work
2006 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Apperceptions and Allegories
2006 Norton Studio Gallery, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
Being There
2006 Esteban Sabar Gallery, Oakland, CA
Similes and Sayings
2005 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Hamlettes on Wry
2005 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA
2004 Louie-Meager Art Gallery, Gary Soren Smith Center, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Dress Code
2004 STRS Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1997 Laredo Center for the Arts, Laredo, TX
Noir Images (Solo Show)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Men's Room
2010 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Go Figure
2010 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Resurgence
2009 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
In Black and White: Monochromatic Paintings by Kenney Mencher and Caroline Meyer
2008 Art Museum of Los Gatos, CA
Sex, Politics and Misogyny, Peter Langenbach and Kenney Mencher
2006-07 Klaudia Marr, Santa Fe, NM
14th Annual Realism Invitational
13th Annual Realism Invitational
2006 Triton Art Museum, Santa Clara, CA
Beyond the Likeness: Self Portraits by California Artists
2003 Hang Gallery Palo Alto, CA
One More Thing Before I Go
1999 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
First Annual Realism Invitational
2001 Craighead-Green, Dallas, TX
Kenney Mencher and Connie Connally
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Small Works
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Nancy Switzer, Milt Kobayashi, and Kenney Mencher
_______________________________________________________________
Ratings and Reviews
Michael
Rated 5 out of 5
Many thanks . Great shipping and and came with a personalized note and a bonus painting . Love Kenney and his wonderful art .
Joshua
Rated 5 out of 5
Shipped much faster than expected! As always, Kenney’s work is stunning and captures the male figure in such a beautiful way. I bought the figure drawing on the right (an original piece of his) and this print complimented it so well.
Brian O'CONNOR
Rated 5 out of 5
Absolutely beautiful! Amazingly beautiful, thank you!
markemoody435
Rated 5 out of 5
Arrived quickly and well packaged. This is my second purchase from this artist--very pleased again!
Yihao
Rated 5 out of 5
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Another incredible piece of artwork in my home from the talented and kind Kenney Mencher! I am so pleased to have added this to my collection of work from him, and he is such a delight to interact with. I highly recommend his work!
Kevin
Rated 5 out of 5
Even more beautiful in person! Amazing artist!!!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
As usual, Kenney's artwork is warm AND hot. I love the piece and it looks better in person than on the screen. Thanks!
jkarceski
Rated 5 out of 5
Amazing painting! Thank you! I love it!
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Nice price of art. Thanks.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
So happy I was able to purchase this treasure. Great addition to my collection. Marvelous artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic art and artist. Love.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Very nice quality and great artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic! Great artist. Collected his art for years. Postcards make it fun to share with others.
Art
Rated 5 out of 5
Another amazing painting to add to my Kenney Mencher collection. I look forward to getting it framed and adding it to my gallery wall.
Leslie
Rated 5 out of 5
I bet the original is amazing, I’m happy to have a copy for my wall. It’s great.
Morgan
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenny is the best! Love his work and he’s as kind as he is talented!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
I love, love, LOVE this painting! Thank you Kenney!
PoojiDung
Rated 5 out of 5
Beautiful art! I can’t believe I own it. Both paintings look even better in person. The piece “Vacation” Is larger than described (almost 6’ tall rather than the 5’ listed). Communication was fantastic, shipping was smooth, and delivery went off without a hitch. Seller included some small prints and documentation before the paintings could be shipped and also sent a personalized water color in advance. Thank you, Kenney!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Lovely print from Kenney Mencher. My only regret is not having been able to purchase the original!
FREE SHIPPING
THIS WORK IS ORIGINAL (NOT A PRINT OR GICLEE)
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
The key to getting this painting is that I've tried to crop down on to the figure so that the most compelling, interesting or appealing elements are highlighted: his beard, chest hair and his six pack. I guess he really has an eight pack. I've also made the figure kiss the edges of the composition to make it more active.
In particular I try to approach painting in several ways, I want the drawing skills, color, and anatomy to be accurate but I also try to make the compositions more interesting by avoiding a “bull’s eye” (symmetrical) composition in favor of a more exciting slightly off center or “asymmetrical” composition.
I use a compositional device called the "rule of thirds." The rule of thirds is a guideline for both artists and photographers. It says that if you divide your composition into thirds, either vertically or horizontally, and then place focal areas of your scene at the meeting points of them, you will get a more pleasing arrangement and layout for your compositions.
This painting was done in the "alla prima" method. The alla prima is an Italian phrase that means 'at first attempt'. It refers to a wet-on-wet approach whereby wet paint is applied to previous layers of still-wet paint, often in a single sitting. Over the years, the technique has been adopted and adapted by artists from Van Gogh to Velázquez.
I’m also attempting to work with brush work and thick and thin paint in a more stylized and calligraphic way. I want the paint to be thickest where the light is the brightest and thinner in the darker areas. The direction of the brush strokes is meant to follow and amplify the contours of the forms and make it feel more tangible.
The subject matter of most of my work is usually blatantly homoerotic or at the very least queer. I’m trying to ally with other queer and gay creators in representing people who are often marginalized by the rest of the world and make art that speaks to a community that often is silenced.
This male portrait of a very masculine sexy hairy man is an original painting. I mainly make art about gay bears and other types of art for the queer community. A lot of my art revolves around the portrayal of heroic older bearish or bullish men. In my paintings I'm trying to communicate about body positivity and the beauty of the heroic male "bear."
Many straight folks are unaware of the bear subculture. Hardly a surprise, since a powerful majority rarely concerns itself with the doings of a marginalized minority. When, three or four years ago, I first mentioned bears to my straight friends, none of them knew what I was talking about, though by now at least one of them calls me “The Bear.” Similarly, my heterosexual students, as expert as they might be on current media, seem equally ignorant about this topic.
Most GLBT folks, however, by now seem to know the basics. A “bear” is a hairy, bearded, brawny-to-bulky gay man, usually displaying aspects of traditional masculinity. A cub is a younger version of the same; a wolf is a lean, hairy man; an otter a young version of that. “Woof!” is a lustful expression, meaning essentially: “Tasty! I’d like to climb all over that!” “Grrrrr!” means much the same. As you can see, after twenty-some years of development, the bear community, like any subculture, has its own jargon, sometimes called “bearspeak” or “vocabulary.” It also has its own values, its own style, and its own commodities. There are bear-oriented bars, festivals, music, movies, magazines, and books. There are regional clubs for bears not only in metropolitan centers, where the communities first developed, but also in rural areas.
Information about the artist Kenney Mencher.
I was born in Brooklyn February of 1965. During much of my childhood I lived in Brooklyn, the Bronx, upstate NY, Sarasota, Florida and Manhattan. (Both my mother and father divorced and remarried.) The real hero of my childhood is my older brother Marc who literally changed my diapers, acted as my protector and as my role model.
I started to learn to paint and draw when I was six or seven years old and was convinced that I would be an artist from that age on.
As a teen at the High School of Art and Design I got my best training in Irwin Greenberg’s class where he taught me how to draw, oil paint and watercolor. I also attended classes at the Cooper Union and Art Students League.
My parents threw me out in my senior year of high school, so I earned my GED and worked construction on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was a rough time but my older brother and his partner Kirk rescued me by inviting me to move with them to Cincinnati, Ohio to live and study. While a college student, I worked in restaurants and painted as much as I could. After a year at the University of Cincinnati, I went back to the Bronx where I finished college at CUNY Lehman. Lehman is a fantastic college.
After completing my undergraduate studies, I lived in California and then Ohio completing my two masters’ degrees in Art History and Studio Art. After school I was lucky enough to have dual careers as an exhibiting artist and tenured professor.
In 2014 I began to work on paintings with a strong homoerotic content. Despite excellent sales and well received shows, the galleries I worked with wouldn’t show my new queer work, so I’ve been successfully working mainly directly with my collectors. This change has freed me and allowed me to focus on themes and subjects that, in the past, were rejected or resulted in censorship.
Things are going great! In 2016, after eighteen years of teaching art history and studio courses, I resigned a tenured professorship to pursue painting full time.
EDUCATION
1993-1995 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
MFA Painting
1991-1994 University of California, Davis, CA
MA Art History
1988-1991 City University of New York, Bronx, NY
Magna Cum Laude; BA Art History
1988 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
1981-1985 Art Students' League, Manhattan, NY
1978-1982 Art & Design High School, Manhattan, NY
EMPLOYMENT
1999-2016 Associate Professor of Art & Art History, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
1998-1999 Instructor of Art History & Western Civilization, San Francisco University High School
1996-1998 Assistant Professor of Art & Art History, Texas A&M University, Laredo, TX
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Lone Star Saloon, San Francisco, CA
It’s All About the Bears
2016 Tracy Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
The Convict and the Boy, A Graphic Novel and Installation by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Art Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2008 Sequential Art Gallery, Portland, OR
Cads and Coquettes
2008 Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
Lovers and Liars
2007 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Faces and Farces
2007 Gallery 2611, Redwood City, CA
Clichés and Characters
2006 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Kenney Mencher: Recent Work
2006 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Apperceptions and Allegories
2006 Norton Studio Gallery, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
Being There
2006 Esteban Sabar Gallery, Oakland, CA
Similes and Sayings
2005 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Hamlettes on Wry
2005 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA
2004 Louie-Meager Art Gallery, Gary Soren Smith Center, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Dress Code
2004 STRS Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1997 Laredo Center for the Arts, Laredo, TX
Noir Images (Solo Show)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Men's Room
2010 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Go Figure
2010 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Resurgence
2009 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
In Black and White: Monochromatic Paintings by Kenney Mencher and Caroline Meyer
2008 Art Museum of Los Gatos, CA
Sex, Politics and Misogyny, Peter Langenbach and Kenney Mencher
2006-07 Klaudia Marr, Santa Fe, NM
14th Annual Realism Invitational
13th Annual Realism Invitational
2006 Triton Art Museum, Santa Clara, CA
Beyond the Likeness: Self Portraits by California Artists
2003 Hang Gallery Palo Alto, CA
One More Thing Before I Go
1999 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
First Annual Realism Invitational
2001 Craighead-Green, Dallas, TX
Kenney Mencher and Connie Connally
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Small Works
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Nancy Switzer, Milt Kobayashi, and Kenney Mencher
_______________________________________________________________
Ratings and Reviews
Michael
Rated 5 out of 5
Many thanks . Great shipping and and came with a personalized note and a bonus painting . Love Kenney and his wonderful art .
Joshua
Rated 5 out of 5
Shipped much faster than expected! As always, Kenney’s work is stunning and captures the male figure in such a beautiful way. I bought the figure drawing on the right (an original piece of his) and this print complimented it so well.
Brian O'CONNOR
Rated 5 out of 5
Absolutely beautiful! Amazingly beautiful, thank you!
markemoody435
Rated 5 out of 5
Arrived quickly and well packaged. This is my second purchase from this artist--very pleased again!
Yihao
Rated 5 out of 5
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Another incredible piece of artwork in my home from the talented and kind Kenney Mencher! I am so pleased to have added this to my collection of work from him, and he is such a delight to interact with. I highly recommend his work!
Kevin
Rated 5 out of 5
Even more beautiful in person! Amazing artist!!!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
As usual, Kenney's artwork is warm AND hot. I love the piece and it looks better in person than on the screen. Thanks!
jkarceski
Rated 5 out of 5
Amazing painting! Thank you! I love it!
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Nice price of art. Thanks.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
So happy I was able to purchase this treasure. Great addition to my collection. Marvelous artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic art and artist. Love.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Very nice quality and great artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic! Great artist. Collected his art for years. Postcards make it fun to share with others.
Art
Rated 5 out of 5
Another amazing painting to add to my Kenney Mencher collection. I look forward to getting it framed and adding it to my gallery wall.
Leslie
Rated 5 out of 5
I bet the original is amazing, I’m happy to have a copy for my wall. It’s great.
Morgan
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenny is the best! Love his work and he’s as kind as he is talented!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
I love, love, LOVE this painting! Thank you Kenney!
PoojiDung
Rated 5 out of 5
Beautiful art! I can’t believe I own it. Both paintings look even better in person. The piece “Vacation” Is larger than described (almost 6’ tall rather than the 5’ listed). Communication was fantastic, shipping was smooth, and delivery went off without a hitch. Seller included some small prints and documentation before the paintings could be shipped and also sent a personalized water color in advance. Thank you, Kenney!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Lovely print from Kenney Mencher. My only regret is not having been able to purchase the original!
THIS WORK IS ORIGINAL (NOT A PRINT OR GICLEE)
Shipping takes 3-4 Weeks
The key to getting this painting is that I've tried to crop down on to the figure so that the most compelling, interesting or appealing elements are highlighted: his beard, chest hair and his six pack. I guess he really has an eight pack. I've also made the figure kiss the edges of the composition to make it more active.
In particular I try to approach painting in several ways, I want the drawing skills, color, and anatomy to be accurate but I also try to make the compositions more interesting by avoiding a “bull’s eye” (symmetrical) composition in favor of a more exciting slightly off center or “asymmetrical” composition.
I use a compositional device called the "rule of thirds." The rule of thirds is a guideline for both artists and photographers. It says that if you divide your composition into thirds, either vertically or horizontally, and then place focal areas of your scene at the meeting points of them, you will get a more pleasing arrangement and layout for your compositions.
This painting was done in the "alla prima" method. The alla prima is an Italian phrase that means 'at first attempt'. It refers to a wet-on-wet approach whereby wet paint is applied to previous layers of still-wet paint, often in a single sitting. Over the years, the technique has been adopted and adapted by artists from Van Gogh to Velázquez.
I’m also attempting to work with brush work and thick and thin paint in a more stylized and calligraphic way. I want the paint to be thickest where the light is the brightest and thinner in the darker areas. The direction of the brush strokes is meant to follow and amplify the contours of the forms and make it feel more tangible.
The subject matter of most of my work is usually blatantly homoerotic or at the very least queer. I’m trying to ally with other queer and gay creators in representing people who are often marginalized by the rest of the world and make art that speaks to a community that often is silenced.
This male portrait of a very masculine sexy hairy man is an original painting. I mainly make art about gay bears and other types of art for the queer community. A lot of my art revolves around the portrayal of heroic older bearish or bullish men. In my paintings I'm trying to communicate about body positivity and the beauty of the heroic male "bear."
Many straight folks are unaware of the bear subculture. Hardly a surprise, since a powerful majority rarely concerns itself with the doings of a marginalized minority. When, three or four years ago, I first mentioned bears to my straight friends, none of them knew what I was talking about, though by now at least one of them calls me “The Bear.” Similarly, my heterosexual students, as expert as they might be on current media, seem equally ignorant about this topic.
Most GLBT folks, however, by now seem to know the basics. A “bear” is a hairy, bearded, brawny-to-bulky gay man, usually displaying aspects of traditional masculinity. A cub is a younger version of the same; a wolf is a lean, hairy man; an otter a young version of that. “Woof!” is a lustful expression, meaning essentially: “Tasty! I’d like to climb all over that!” “Grrrrr!” means much the same. As you can see, after twenty-some years of development, the bear community, like any subculture, has its own jargon, sometimes called “bearspeak” or “vocabulary.” It also has its own values, its own style, and its own commodities. There are bear-oriented bars, festivals, music, movies, magazines, and books. There are regional clubs for bears not only in metropolitan centers, where the communities first developed, but also in rural areas.
Information about the artist Kenney Mencher.
I was born in Brooklyn February of 1965. During much of my childhood I lived in Brooklyn, the Bronx, upstate NY, Sarasota, Florida and Manhattan. (Both my mother and father divorced and remarried.) The real hero of my childhood is my older brother Marc who literally changed my diapers, acted as my protector and as my role model.
I started to learn to paint and draw when I was six or seven years old and was convinced that I would be an artist from that age on.
As a teen at the High School of Art and Design I got my best training in Irwin Greenberg’s class where he taught me how to draw, oil paint and watercolor. I also attended classes at the Cooper Union and Art Students League.
My parents threw me out in my senior year of high school, so I earned my GED and worked construction on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It was a rough time but my older brother and his partner Kirk rescued me by inviting me to move with them to Cincinnati, Ohio to live and study. While a college student, I worked in restaurants and painted as much as I could. After a year at the University of Cincinnati, I went back to the Bronx where I finished college at CUNY Lehman. Lehman is a fantastic college.
After completing my undergraduate studies, I lived in California and then Ohio completing my two masters’ degrees in Art History and Studio Art. After school I was lucky enough to have dual careers as an exhibiting artist and tenured professor.
In 2014 I began to work on paintings with a strong homoerotic content. Despite excellent sales and well received shows, the galleries I worked with wouldn’t show my new queer work, so I’ve been successfully working mainly directly with my collectors. This change has freed me and allowed me to focus on themes and subjects that, in the past, were rejected or resulted in censorship.
Things are going great! In 2016, after eighteen years of teaching art history and studio courses, I resigned a tenured professorship to pursue painting full time.
EDUCATION
1993-1995 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
MFA Painting
1991-1994 University of California, Davis, CA
MA Art History
1988-1991 City University of New York, Bronx, NY
Magna Cum Laude; BA Art History
1988 University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
1981-1985 Art Students' League, Manhattan, NY
1978-1982 Art & Design High School, Manhattan, NY
EMPLOYMENT
1999-2016 Associate Professor of Art & Art History, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
1998-1999 Instructor of Art History & Western Civilization, San Francisco University High School
1996-1998 Assistant Professor of Art & Art History, Texas A&M University, Laredo, TX
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2021 Lone Star Saloon, San Francisco, CA
It’s All About the Bears
2016 Tracy Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
The Convict and the Boy, A Graphic Novel and Installation by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2012 Art Museum of Los Gatos, Los Gatos, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Renovated Reputations: Paintings, Installation and Mixed Media by Kenney Mencher with publication edited by the artist.
2008 Sequential Art Gallery, Portland, OR
Cads and Coquettes
2008 Varnish Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
Lovers and Liars
2007 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Faces and Farces
2007 Gallery 2611, Redwood City, CA
Clichés and Characters
2006 Klaudia Marr Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Kenney Mencher: Recent Work
2006 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Apperceptions and Allegories
2006 Norton Studio Gallery, Pacific Art League, Palo Alto, CA
Being There
2006 Esteban Sabar Gallery, Oakland, CA
Similes and Sayings
2005 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Hamlettes on Wry
2005 Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View, CA
2004 Louie-Meager Art Gallery, Gary Soren Smith Center, Ohlone College, Fremont, CA
Dress Code
2004 STRS Gallery, Sacramento, CA
1997 Laredo Center for the Arts, Laredo, TX
Noir Images (Solo Show)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
The Men's Room
2010 Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
Go Figure
2010 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Resurgence
2009 ArtHaus Gallery, San Francisco, CA
In Black and White: Monochromatic Paintings by Kenney Mencher and Caroline Meyer
2008 Art Museum of Los Gatos, CA
Sex, Politics and Misogyny, Peter Langenbach and Kenney Mencher
2006-07 Klaudia Marr, Santa Fe, NM
14th Annual Realism Invitational
13th Annual Realism Invitational
2006 Triton Art Museum, Santa Clara, CA
Beyond the Likeness: Self Portraits by California Artists
2003 Hang Gallery Palo Alto, CA
One More Thing Before I Go
1999 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
First Annual Realism Invitational
2001 Craighead-Green, Dallas, TX
Kenney Mencher and Connie Connally
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Small Works
1998 Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Nancy Switzer, Milt Kobayashi, and Kenney Mencher
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Ratings and Reviews
Michael
Rated 5 out of 5
Many thanks . Great shipping and and came with a personalized note and a bonus painting . Love Kenney and his wonderful art .
Joshua
Rated 5 out of 5
Shipped much faster than expected! As always, Kenney’s work is stunning and captures the male figure in such a beautiful way. I bought the figure drawing on the right (an original piece of his) and this print complimented it so well.
Brian O'CONNOR
Rated 5 out of 5
Absolutely beautiful! Amazingly beautiful, thank you!
markemoody435
Rated 5 out of 5
Arrived quickly and well packaged. This is my second purchase from this artist--very pleased again!
Yihao
Rated 5 out of 5
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
Mark
Rated 5 out of 5
Great quality. Item as described. Expectations exceeded!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Another incredible piece of artwork in my home from the talented and kind Kenney Mencher! I am so pleased to have added this to my collection of work from him, and he is such a delight to interact with. I highly recommend his work!
Kevin
Rated 5 out of 5
Even more beautiful in person! Amazing artist!!!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
As usual, Kenney's artwork is warm AND hot. I love the piece and it looks better in person than on the screen. Thanks!
jkarceski
Rated 5 out of 5
Amazing painting! Thank you! I love it!
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Nice price of art. Thanks.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
So happy I was able to purchase this treasure. Great addition to my collection. Marvelous artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic art and artist. Love.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Very nice quality and great artist.
Tyler
Rated 5 out of 5
Fantastic! Great artist. Collected his art for years. Postcards make it fun to share with others.
Art
Rated 5 out of 5
Another amazing painting to add to my Kenney Mencher collection. I look forward to getting it framed and adding it to my gallery wall.
Leslie
Rated 5 out of 5
I bet the original is amazing, I’m happy to have a copy for my wall. It’s great.
Morgan
Rated 5 out of 5
Kenny is the best! Love his work and he’s as kind as he is talented!
Edward
Rated 5 out of 5
I love, love, LOVE this painting! Thank you Kenney!
PoojiDung
Rated 5 out of 5
Beautiful art! I can’t believe I own it. Both paintings look even better in person. The piece “Vacation” Is larger than described (almost 6’ tall rather than the 5’ listed). Communication was fantastic, shipping was smooth, and delivery went off without a hitch. Seller included some small prints and documentation before the paintings could be shipped and also sent a personalized water color in advance. Thank you, Kenney!
KC
Rated 5 out of 5
Lovely print from Kenney Mencher. My only regret is not having been able to purchase the original!
