Galen Cheney

"I’m a painter’s painter. My formal art education began at Mount Holyoke College and continued at the Maryland Institute, College of Art, where I received my MFA and was mentored by Grace Hartigan, Hermine Ford, and Salvatore Scarpitta, among other important artists.

Three decades later, I continue to push myself and my work with honesty, commitment, and fearlessness. Deep diving into my own creative process, I am a physical artist whose richly layered paintings embody my curiosity about and exploration of materials abstraction and my own psyche.

Born in Los Angeles and widely traveled, I have spent most of my life in New England where I feel a deep connection to my roots, the land, and centuries-old architecture. A childhood trip to Europe was the start of my enduring love of travel and fascination with ancient civilizations. Along with an affinity for the ancient world, I feel the gravitational pull of contemporary urban life–its grit, noise and neon graffiti and an unshakable connection to the mid-century Abstract Expressionists. In my own way I synthesize these influences to create work that is complex, and uniquely mine.

My work has been exhibited and collected widely in the U.S. and in Europe, China, Canada, and the UK.  I was featured in New American Paintings (vol. 86) and was nominated for a Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant. Past residencies and fellowships include the Millay Colony, MASS MoCA, Vermont Studio Center, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, and Da Wang Culture Highland.

My home and studio are in North Adams, Massachusetts, in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains."

- Galen Cheney