This article was originally published in the May 2018 Trenton Downtowner.
Artist and Trenton native John Gummere opens his month-long Trenton Social exhibition with a reception on Friday, May 4, starting at 7 p.m.
Gummere paints mainly in oils and creates representational works featuring landscape, city scenes, and interiors. He has exhibited at Ellarslie, Euphemia Gallery in Hightstown, and Spring Lake; Plastic Club and Jeri’s Curio in Philadelphia; and Gallery 788 in Baltimore.
He says his inspirations include famed 20th century American realist painter Edward Hopper, “Ashcan” painters Edward Hopper and William Glackens, early 20th century portrait artist Cecilia Beaux, and others, including 16th century Dutch artist Vermeer and 20th century abstract artist Mark Rothko.
He graduated from Columbia University in 1977 with a degree in architecture, studied painting part time with Mel Leipzig and others at Mercer County Community College, and graduated from an intensive four-year program at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
His mother was well known portrait and Trenton scene painter Peggy Peplow Gummere.
A Morrisville resident, Gummere assesses his artistic approach as follows: “I use subjects as starting points to work with light, color, composition and different ways of using paint. I’m not too heavy on the philosophy here: at the most basic level, I simply paint because I love to paint.”
Paintings by John Gummere, Trenton Social, 449 South Broad Street. Opens Friday, May 4, 7 p.m. 609-989-7777 or facebook.com/trentonsocial. www.be.net/JohnGummere
