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December 1, 2007

By Karen Smithmyer
Gazette Staff Writer

    Bedford resident Kevin Kutz has had many exhibits at the Bedford County Arts Center, but his new one is the most important to him.     Kutz, 52, lost many of his paintings and prints in the Founder¹s Crossing fire in January, but the ones he salvaged, along with new ones, will be on display at the arts center from Nov. 28 through Dec. 23.

    The exhibit tells the story of the rebuilding process Kutz had to endure after the fire, he said.

    The Jan. 11 fire did not start in Kutz¹s third story studio, but spread there before Kutz was able to remove any paintings, he said.   “We just sort of stood there watching the fire because there was nothing we could do," Kutz said. “It was really numbing.”

    In the days following the fire, Kutz said he was able to enter his studio with fire marshals to salvage what paintings he could. “A lot of the paintings weren't recognizable.”

    The paintings Kutz was able to salvage exhibit smoke and fire damage, but Kutz decided not to restore them, and visitors to the arts center can see singed edges on some paintings.

    “Nothing was the same after the fire, and, at first, I wanted to restore the paintings,” Kutz said as he hung a painting in the center. “But I decided against it because now all the paintings tell a new story.”

    Although Kutz said there is no theme for his show, he said it unconsciously revolves around how he responded to the fire and how he started over as a painter.

    For the first few months following the fire, Kutz said he only worked on watercolors, mostly from in his truck.

    “It was like I was starting over completely and doing basic nature watercolors. I had to start over again.”

    Another way Kutz started over was by putting together two paintings that had been completed before the fire. These paintings were done with oil on 1 foot squares.

    Each painting consists of 20 to 25 individual paintings. Kutz put those blocks together to make one large painting. “This really was like therapy for me, working on them,” Kutz said. “It's all I worked on the nights following the fire. Each square is an abstract painting that could stand on its own, but put together, they make a completely different painting.”

    One is a self portrait Kutz finished after the fire by mixing together ground charcoal from the fire and rubbing alcohol. He put the mixture over the painting to give it a rustic look.

    Each square is what Kutz calls a “dailies.” For one year, he would paint a square a day, which Kutz said actually turned into an autobiography of sorts.

    “Some of the paintings are of places, while others were objects that would appear in my  daily life.” Some of the dailies were used to make the two larger paintings, while others are their own painting. They all went through the fire and Kutz has some displayed at his exhibit.

    “I had the dailies separated in my gallery with newspapers and you actually can see some newspaper print and paper on the paintings.

    “But that turned into a big part of my life and I didn¹t want to take that away from them,” Kutz said.

    Each daily, and most of his paintings, are done live, Kutz said, because he likes the atmosphere included. “There's just something about working from the actual subject, it's like live music.”

    Along with the exhibit, there is an artist reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. Included in the reception will be live music from Michele and Clay Green.

    Also, books of Kutz¹s Lincoln Highway Series and a CD by his band, CMR to the Max, will be on sale in the art center's shop.

    The arts center is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. It also will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 23 but is closed from Dec.  24 through Jan. 7. For more information, call the arts center at 623-1538.