British-born artist Christopher Kennedy is delighted to announce his contribution of a Photo Luminism work titled ‘Paddles’, to the Bucks County Playhouse 75th anniversary gala benefit on May 3rd.

Kennedy lives in New Hope, Bucks County, PA, a 90 minutes drive from Manhattan, where the Bucks County Playhouse, converted from an old mill, has been an important cultural centre, from 1939 until 2010 when it sadly went dark. Many Hollywood and Broadway stars made their debut here. From Grace Kelly to Robert Redford, Walter Matthau to Mike Nichols, Lillian Gish to Bernadette Peters – a multitude of exceptionally talented feet have trod these charming boards.

In December 2011, the Playhouse was saved by Sherri and Kevin Daughterty, who with their Bridge Street Foundation are faithfully returning it to its former glory at considerable expense.  The playhouse is now running a full program with a Tony award winning management team (Alexander Fraser and Robyn Goodman) in place.  Needless to say, the locals could not be more grateful.

“I’m honoured to contribute to the fundraiser for this historic theatre,” Kennedy said. On this occasion he will print Paddles onto a thick rag paper to enhance the texture; his work is more often printed onto large-scale aluminum panels. This intriguing image is based on a shot of a local firework display rocket exploding high in the sky. 

Christopher Kennedy also recently donated a Photo Luminism piece to the AIDS benefit gala organized by DIFFA in New York. “I’m trying to lend support to important causes in the best way I know” he said. “The Playhouse is a vitally important part of new Hope’s cultural heritage.”

The Playhouse gala comes a few days after Kennedy’s exhibition at Photo Independent fine art photography fair in Los Angeles, where he will show three large-scale works to collectors and a large international audience. Photo Independent is the first artists-only fair of it’s kind in L.A. “I have a feeling my pieces will go down well on the West Coast.” he said.

Kennedy has enjoyed early success with commissions from international hotels in Dubai and Chicago, and is building an impressive list of private collectors in the UK, USA and South America. He has been included in both solo and group shows in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and hopes to soon be able to announce news of a gallery representing his work in London.

Kennedy’s current work is an exploration of “Photo Luminism”, a technique he developed which plays on the effects of motion on multi coloured light sources. The majority of the work is abstract, though occasionally he ties the process to something concrete. His work often provokes the question, ‘How did you do that?’ “It’s very satisfying when people stare, and try to figure out how I created a picture,” he said.

Using the same technique, in the summer of 2012, Kennedy began to experiment on the New Hope Friday Night Fireworks – light in motion rather than static, which created something totally different.

Each limited edition piece is whimsically titled, to encourage associations and unforeseen narratives to spring into the mind and heart of the observer. “My work is pure escapism. The images are fleeting - literally plucked from the universe and my imagination. They might stimulate a thought, inspire a conversation or simply provoke a smile."

Links:

Christopher Kennedy Website

Bucks County Playhouse

BCP Benefit Gala

Photo Independent L.A

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