[Editor’s Note: In this series, Peekskill Herald profiles the “after life” of what certain individuals who graduated from Peekskill High School currently are doing.]
Surreal artist Steven Kenny likes to surprise people, from painting a woman with animals living in her hair, and a summer beach scene on an iceberg with a penguin, to a child casually sitting on a lava flow with a smokestack in his hat.
The Peekskill High School (PHS) 1980 graduate has creatively mastered the art of the unexpected.
Displaying his artwork for the past 40 years at dozens of galleries around the world, Kenny is widely known for both his paintings and illustrations. His work may be familiar on a Celestial Seasonings tea box, a Journey rock band album cover, or Time magazine. The artist has been sought after since graduation from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence.
“What I do in my surreal work is straightforward drawings of landscapes and still lifes,” says the Peekskill native. “Then I’ll add something unexpected. I always have to throw something in that’s odd and strange.”
He has painted a royal crown on an eagle, tree branches on a person’s head, and a naked baby riding on the wings of a cardinal, among many other pieces. His work looks both realistic and whimsical, and he has been called among the leading surreal artists of the 21st Century by Paul Chimera, Dali historian with The Salvador Dalí Society.
Blending Nature with the Surreal
When Peekskill Herald caught up with Kenny, he was in his southwestern Virginia studio working on pieces for an upcoming local art association’s juried show and a San Francisco gallery.
A lover of nature, his work largely features the outdoors, which he attributes to growing up in the Highland Park area of Peekskill. “Where we lived, there were six acres of woods across the street and a stream running through it,” he says. “I’d come home from school and run into the woods. This had a profound effect on my art.”
His Peekskill High School art teacher also had a profound effect on Kenny, who was voted Most Artistic Student of his senior class. “Up until the time I was to apply for colleges, I was planning to pursue a career in forestry. But my art teacher at PHS, Bert Glassberg, encouraged me to pursue my art.”
At the same time, Kenny adds, his father asked if he thought about attending The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, an historic school, which at the time, had free tuition. “At the last minute, I applied to art school and went to RISD.”
The rest is history. Kenny graduated, moved to New York City, and began doing commercial illustrations, while also exhibiting his artwork. Originally doing mostly illustration, he pivoted to painting. His big break came when a Washington, D.C., gallery began representing him.
“The details are what’s fun for me. I’ve always worked realistically, so the details are a challenge to add in.”
Studying the Classics
He gives credit for creative inspiration to a love of art history, especially famous surreal painters like Hieronymus Bosch. “I have a love of painters from art history, especially the early Dutch painters from the 1400s to 1500s. If you look at their work, you’ll see a lot of references to the work I do.”
Kenny also found inspiration during a RISD independent, study-abroad year in Italy. He also followed the work of popular Spanish surreal painter Gervasio Gallardo.
Throughout his career, Kenny, the youngest of four boys, kept in touch with art teacher Glassberg. He attended his 2009 retirement party, where Kenny reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Diohn Brancaleoni, a psychologist and artist. The two had lost touch after graduation. Both divorced, they married in 2010.
When Kenny reflects on his career, in an industry where many don’t succeed, he credits the self-determination and hard work that he saw in his parents. “I was raised with a certain work ethic. I watched my dad work very hard for St. Regis Paper Co., and my mother was a nurse before raising a family. She also made a lot of her own clothes and was very crafty. I never saw any repairman come to the house. My dad did it all. I watched them work with their hands and it gave me the impression that you could do anything with your hands.”
Kenny also attributes his success, in part, to mastering the art of self-promotion, an important skill that many creative people shy away from. Managing his own social media channels, he says he never declines an interview or opportunity to get the word out about his artwork. “I also don’t get discouraged very easily. If I reach out and pursue an opportunity and it doesn’t work out, I just move on and go to the next opportunity.”
Returning to Peekskill
The Kennys visit Peekskill about once a year, where Brancaleoni has family nearby. The two are enthusiastic about the burgeoning Peekskill arts community. “Any time a city puts efforts into attracting artists, it always works out,” he adds.
His advice to aspiring artists and those starting out is to put art first. “Find a way to do art all the time, or in your spare time. That’s the chemistry of being an artist. If you need to supplement your income, try to find a job that’s art-related because that feeds into it and keeps the ball rolling. Luck is part of it, too. It’s sad to see artists with the drive, talent and desire not work out.”
While Kenny says his artwork keeps him busy round the clock, he does manage to fit in travel, and recently returned from a trip to the United Kingdom.
To see more of Steve Kenny’s work, visit his website.
