Westmont Welcomes Internationally Acclaimed California Artist

Westmont’s Reynolds Gallery will display the works of California painter R. Kenton Nelson beginning next month in an exhibition titled “Narrative Idealism.” The free exhibit runs Nov. 10-Dec. 16 at the gallery, which is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

There will also be a public opening reception and book signing with the artist, Thursday, Nov. 10, from 4-6 p.m. A new large-scale painting will be premiered at the opening reception.

Nelson is an internationally acclaimed artist whose paintings have been featured on the cover of the New Yorker four times. His works depict a bucolic, colorful world reminiscent of regionalistic artists of the 1930s.

Nelson was born and raised in the Los Angeles area and attended CSU Long Beach. He was a student at Otis Parsons Art Institute in Los Angeles, where he served on the faculty.

“I depict contemporary scenes,” Nelson says on his Web site, “with heroic imagery and strong, capable and confident people in a timeless, decorative style.”

The exhibition at Westmont is presented in conjunction with a companion show organized by the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

The Reynolds Gallery will sell signed and numbered limited edition giclee prints as well as a slip-cased set of two hardcover books collecting Nelson’s works.

The books and prints will be available for purchase online at www.westmont.edu/reynoldsgallery.
The Reynolds Gallery is committed to educating the community through its unique offering of exhibits and related lectures.

For directions to campus, visit the college Web site at www.westmont.edu. For more information about the gallery or the exhibit please contact Helen Talkin at
(805) 565-6162.