If the last year has taught us anything, it’s an intimate awareness of our immediate surroundings. And so this seems like a great time to see the recent realistic paintings of Peter Walkley, known for his tightly edited, precise renderings of older Omaha neighborhoods, in the new exhibition Introspection opening at Anderson O’Brien Fine Art on Friday, December 4.
Walkley is an avowed fan of the work of the American Regionalists, especially it appears that of Grant Wood and Marvin Cone, those Iowa artists known for their crisp, detailed renderings of the people and places of their communities. Painting in acrylic on board, Walkley portrays slices of life from the areas of Omaha in which he has lived and worked.
There is always a tantalizing narrative in the keenest of Walkley’s paintings, in which our views into the life inside cozy neighborhoods are cut off by hills, separated by covered walkways and obscured by closed interior doors. Generally small in format, Walkley’s paintings nonetheless convey a great deal of information, atmosphere and mystery.
Introspection: Recent Work by Peter Walkley opens on Friday, December 4 and runs through December 31, 2020 at the new location for Anderson O’Brien Fine Art, 3220 Farnam Street (the former Hutch location in Midtown Crossing). An Evening with the Artist will take place on First Friday, December 4 from 5-8pm. Call 402/884-0911 or email gallery@aobfineart.com to reserve a time to meet the artist and view the work.