CRESTONE — Kirby M. Mentzer’s work will be on display at the Shumei Gallery in Crestone for the month of August. A symposium with Kirby will be held on Sunday, August 19th starting a 3 p.m. A reception will follow.

Kirby M. Mentzer, recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, was born on March 21, 1943 in Waynesboro Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to Shippensburg, Pennsylvania and settled into a large house where his mother opened a café with a memorable soda fountain. There were lively gatherings at the shop, which was located several blocks from the Shippensburg State Teachers College.

Kirby and his older brother attended the Rowland Laboratory School on campus. It was there that he was introduced to art, writing, drama and dance which had a profound influence on his life. At an early age he entered tap dancing competitions (Ted Mack Amateur hour, etc.) and performed on stage in numerous school productions including the lead in the high school production of The Boyfriend. He played trumpet in the high school band, orchestra and dance band and sang in regional competitions, but painting was always his passion and he spent long hours alone in his parents basement applying oils to canvas. Later, he graduated from the University of Bridgeport where he received his B.A. in psychology and art.

After a stint in the military, he returned to his art and continued studies in this country and abroad with such notable portrait painters as Bernard Hailstone and John Walton at the Heatherley School of Fine art in London where he was chosen to study at London’s National Gallery.

The current exhibit on display at the Shumei Gallery consists of large-scale paintings using thin layers of oil paint each of which must dry before the next layer is applied. Obviously it is very labor intensive and time consuming and this series of paintings took almost three years to complete. They are about stories, and stories always seem to have a way of meandering here ant there and now and then there is a big surprise when a character demands to be heard (seen), like a character that pops up in a novel. Kirby says, “I structure my thinking as if I’m working on a novel by starting with an outline which is a loose placement of undercoating…and then I wait. I wait to see where it wants to go. In the meantime the whole thing might just turn upside down when I awake from a dream and suddenly see the painting slide sideways in a different direction (with all new characters). That’s when it gets exciting and that’s what this exhibit is all about. “

Come meet Kirby and learn more about his art on Sunday, August 19th from 3-5 p.m. This event is free to the public. Please visit www.shumeicrestone.org or call 256-5284 for more information. The Shumei gallery is open every day 9 to 5 p.m.

Kirby M. Mentzer’s large-scale painting will be on display at Shumei in Crestone for the month of August./ Courtesy Photo