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Born in Selma, Alabama in 1955, Jeff Kronen's education in art began at Washington College in Maryland, and was completed at the renowned Parsons School of Design in New York City. Kronen has developed a style of his own, one where landscapes reflect a stream of consciousness, imaginary colors, and pieces of memories. Kronen says he "envisions the canvas as modern 'poems' containing identifiable elements whose meaning and inter-relationships remain imprecise, shifting and thus 'living'". Kronen considers his moody landscapes to be influenced by the Tonalist style of the late 19th century. Artists such as George Inness, Dwight Tryon and Alexander Wyant evoked an atmospheric quality through the use of subtle colors in their works. Like these artists, Kronen tries to create a "poetic mood", one that concentrates on the deliberate placement of colors and imagery to establish his dreamy works. Along with the use of imagery and appealing hues, Kronen employs an array of different techniques to alter the surface of his paintings. Through the use of underpaintings, glazes and opaque areas, Kronen establishes dimension to the canvas. To this he begins to add textures to the surface by blurring certain areas by rubbing, scrubbing or sanding. In other parts he may add dry metallic pigments, silver leaf, and molding paste, using any medium to enhance the image. Subject matter for Kronen's wistful landscapes may come from pictures in his mind, or from sketches he has produced through the years; an overgrown field, an old house, a forest glade, any "quiet corner of the world that induces reflection". SELECTED EXHIBITIONS: Society Of Illustrators, NY, NY Patricia Judith Gallery, W. Palm Beach, FL J. Walter Thompson, Chicago, IL San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT COMMISSIONS: Walt Disney Production Saatchi & Saatchi Pacificom Ogilvy & Mather |