There is a play on words in the title for a new show of work by painter/printmaker Hugh Kepets, opening at Craven Contemporary in Kent on October 12. There will be a reception for the artist on November 2. 

The artist (who earned his BFA from Carnegie Mellon and MFA from Ohio University in the 1970s) has been fascinated throughout his career with zoning in on the small details of large buildings in urban environments, and helping the viewer to find beauty in ubiquitous and utilitarian objects—especially the fire escapes that are an essential part of nearly every building in New York City. 

The work on display at Craven makes viewers feel they’ve temporarily left Litchfield County and “escaped” to an urban environment. The paintings and silkscreen prints (created in the 1970s and 1980s) are also literal details of fire escapes.

“The focal point of my work embraces transforming simple familiar objects into highly evocative abstractions. With an emphasis on precise patterns and close-ups, the imagery can oftentimes lead to unexpected perceptions of three-dimensional space for the viewer,” the artist says of his work.

A resident of New York City and Litchfield County, Kepets’ work is in many prominent museum collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago, as well as corporate and private collections.—@cravencontemporary