The Kennedy Gallery announces Bill Paarlberg’s Portsmouth Monsters Attack!, a show of drawings and prints from Friday October 4th to Sunday, October 27th, 2024. Opening reception on Friday October 4th, from 5 to 8pm at Kennedy Gallery, 41 Market Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has changed dramatically in recent years. Since the early 1980s, artist Bill Paarlberg’s intricate and meticulous pen and ink drawings have portrayed the city’s iconic locations under siege by colossal mythical creatures. His Famous Monsters of Portsmouth series has depicted Godzilla, King Kong, a giant lobster, a monstrous mermaid, and local legend The Piscatasquid as they crawl over, stomp on, and eye-laser Portsmouth landmarks. See the series so far at https://paarlberg.com/famous-monsters-of-portsmouth/.
This fall’s new Portsmouth Monsters Attack! show introduces several new giant creatures to the mix. A stupendous spider mangles the McIntyre Federal Building. Moby Dick, entangled in fishing gear, leaps from the Piscataqua River with a lobster boat in his jaws. Krampus, reimagined with tentacles, bursts through the historic Portsmouth Athenaeum. And a new version of King Kong screams from the steeple of the North Church. Special printing partner for this show is Live Free Print & Frame of North Hampton, New Hampshire.
Says artist Bill Paarlberg: “I remember being transfixed by the horror of Godzilla when I was about ten years old. Ever since then that peculiar feeling of tremendous size and menace has stuck with me. The Famous Monsters of Portsmouth series lets me roll that into the changing nature of my favorite seaside city. Are these artworks a response to gentrification? Perhaps. Do they express affection for a beautiful and vibrant community? Yes, indeed. Are they scary? Ha! You’ll have to find that out for yourself. Come to the show!”
Kennedy Gallery owner Wendy Clement says, “We just love all of Bill’s artwork, but especially his Famous Monsters. They are a little scary, a little funny, and they are very special to Portsmouth. They have been delighting our patrons and collectors since the early 1980’s. Stop by our shop and see them, or visit us online.”
Bill Paarlberg is an artist from Kittery Point, Maine. He is motivated by strong appreciation for the natural environment, and the beauty of the Maine and New Hampshire coastline. Every year he spends a week painting on Smuttynose Island, part of the Isles of Shoals. You can see his work at Kennedy Gallery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and online at paarlberg.com.
For over forty years, Kennedy Gallery has presented a wide selection of original artwork, prints, and photography, while also specializing in custom framing. Visit Kennedy Gallery and Custom Framing at 41 Market Street, Portsmouth, NH, and online at kennedygalleryandframing.com.