Kenneth Showell Artworks presents

Winter Flowers: Selected Works of Kenneth Showell (1939-1997)

Paintings to Bring a ray of light to the Winter dark

The Cafe Dolce

17547 15th Ave NE, Shoreline 98155

opens Feburary 4, 2024

Purchase paintings here

In 2018, Hannah Palin, a Seattle film archivist, received a storage pod filled with work created by her estranged father, Kenneth Showell, a New York painter and photographer who died in 1997. Palin spent five years documenting, researching, and organizing her inheritance of over 1300 canvases, drawings, pastels, and watercolors. Showell focused a lot of energy on flowers and still lifes. Winter Flowers: Selected Works of Kenneth Showell (1939-1997), is a celebration of color and light in the depths of winter.

The show opens February 4th at The Cafe Dolce in Shoreline, Washington.

The son of a sheet metal worker, Kenneth Leroy Showell was born in 1939 in Huron, South Dakota and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. After receiving his B.F.A. at the Kansas City Art Institute and an M.F.A. from Indiana University he moved to New York City in 1965, setting up a studio in SoHo. Ken’s abstract work with spray paint and folded canvas garnered significant attention. His distinctive approach earned inclusion in the 1967 and 1969 Annual Exhibition: Contemporary American Painting at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Showell was also included in the Whitney’s 1971 Lyrical Abstraction exhibition, and many other important group shows and surveys of contemporary painting. His work is held by prominent museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art and the National Gallery of Art.

From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, Showell was represented by the prestigious David Whitney Gallery which featured the work of painters such as Dan Christiansen, Mary Heilmann, Ronnie Landfield, Pat Lipsky, and David Reed. These artists, along with Showell, were eventually grouped under the heading Lyrical Abstraction, a term coined by the collector Larry Aldrich to describe those painters who were moving away from the "geometric, hard-edge, and minimal, toward more lyrical, sensuous, romantic abstractions in colors which are softer and more vibrant.”

In the 1980s Showell’s interest drifted to landscape and plein air painting. He began to explore computer generated and video imagery as part of his creative practice. He would bring a Hi-8 video camera to Central Park, focus it on scenes he found interesting, and record until the tape came to an end. Afterwards he would return to his studio and paint directly from the image captured on videotape. The process gave his paintings a quality of motion even though his subjects, such as a skyline or a tree, were inherently static.

The Cafe Dolce, located at 7547 15th Ave NE in Shoreline, Washington opens February 4, 2024 is a vibrant community gathering place serving a variety of delicious treats! Their menu features freshly brewed Ethiopian coffee, delectable pastries sourced from Macarina and Alki bakeries, and scrumptious homemade food. Whether you’re in the mood for a scoop of Gelato ice cream or a refreshing drink, we have plenty of options to choose from. 

Kenneth Showell Artworks was established to manage the Kenneth Showell collection and to handle donations, sales, licensing, and merchandise

For more information:

Hannah Palin, kennethshowellartworks@gmail.com, (206) 321-8301

Cafe Dolce, 17547 15th Ave NE, Shoreline 98155, info@thecafedolce.com, (206) 280-5849

The Cafe Dolce Open Hours: Monday - Sunday: 8:00am - 1:00pm