About the artist:

Mel Kishner received a BS degree in Art Education in 1938 from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. He taught art in Milwaukee schools, but is perhaps best known for his prolific work as the Milwaukee Journal / Sentinel art director. Kishner exhibited widely throughout the United States, being best known for his watercolors. He also worked in other media, including oil, acrylic and casein. His work began in the 1930s with a fairly traditional approach to watercolor. However, throughout the following forty years he allowed his work to reflect new influences, although the source of subject matter remained rooted in the tradition of representational expression. Working from the environment that he knew best, he continued to stylize his beloved Wisconsin landscapes even after retiring to the southwestern United States. In the mid-1970s, Kishner revealed a new style, embracing surrealism through meticulously wrought hard-edged compositions. He was a member of The Walrus Club (executive board, 1958-59); Milwaukee Press Club; Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors (President, 1951-5); Illustrators and Designers of Milwaukee (vice-president, executive board, 1956-57); and Wisconsin Watercolor Society. Selected Group Exhibitions 1946 Milwaukee Art Institute, Wisconsin Art Annual Watercolor Show, Jackson, Michigan 1947 American Drawing Annual Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, New York 1950 Milwaukee Art Institute, Solo Exhibition 1954 Milwaukee Art Institute, 40th Annual Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors Exhibition of Wisconsin Art 1956 Paine Art Center and Arboretum, 42nd Annual Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors Exhibition of Wisconsin Art, Milwaukee Art Institute 1957 Washington, D.C. 43rd Annual Wisconsin Painters and Sculptors and Gravers Society of Arts Club 1961 Rahr Civic Center, Manitowoc, Wisconsin 1964 Jewish Community Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1966 Paintings and Graphics 1966 Arts Unlimited, Milwaukee 1973 Oehlschlaeger Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 1975 Stonehouse Gallery, Cedarburg, Wisconsin Paint'n Place Gallery, Stonefield Village, Wisconsin Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio 1977 Ozaukee Art Center Retrospective Exhibition, Cedarburg, Wisconsin 1978 Brewery Works - Fine Arts Salon, Cedarburg, Wisconsin n.d. City of Milwaukee Commission Awards Minor S. Jamieson - First Place Award for Landscape Painting - 43rd Annual Exhibition of Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society Arts Club, Washington, D.C. Wisconsin Collections Milwaukee Art Center - Milwaukee, West Bend Art Museum - West Bend, Lawrence University - Appleton, Oshkosh Museum - Oshkosh, Milwaukee Public Schools