Warner Nienow's luminous urban landscapes, including intimate portraits of pedestrian life and haunting night scenes, will be featured at The Arts Fund gallery from June 24 to August 5. The show takes its title from a core group of paintings of doorways, including locations in Paris, Tokyo, New York, and Santa Barbara. Warner is the recipient of The Arts Fund's 2004 Individual Artist Award in painting.

An opening reception with the artist will be held on Friday, June 24, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. The Arts Fund gallery, located at 205C Santa Barbara Street, on the corner of Santa Barbara Street and Yanonali in Santa Barbara's “Funk Zone” neighborhood, is open Tuesday - Friday, 12-5 p.m.

While Nienow's richly rendered paintings reflect his life-long admiration for the Old Master aesthetics of artists like Rembrandt and Caravaggio, his subjects are thoroughly modern, conveying urban environments with a range of emotional resonance, from warm nostalgia to a sense of isolated melancholy akin to Edward Hopper's portrayals of city life. “My paintings let me share the world with others as I perceive it,” says Nienow. “I have found the subject of urban landscape, both daytime and night-lit scenes, particularly effective in my quest to recreate my lived experience.”

Nienow's fine-art training began in Santa Barbara where he studied with realist master Claude Buck from 1968-1971, from whom Nienow learned classical techniques like underpainting and over-glazing, which give his paintings a glowing warmth and depth. Nienow continued to paint and study while working as an engineer and software manager for General Motors. After retiring from GM, Nienow dedicated his energy to his art, including taking classes with Thomas Van Stein, winner of the IAA award in 2003.

The artist's work has attracted considerable buyer and critical interest over the past six years. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery in New York City recently showed five of Nienow's urban landscapes. Locally, Warner has had a solo exhibition at the Faulkner Gallery of the Santa Barbara Library and participated in several group exhibitions. Most recently, he has been invited by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to show his work in their Art Rental and Sales Gallery.

Artist's Website: www.nienowartworks.com

“Chapala Street Memories”