1993, Bartons Dillema, 18x24 inches, oil on stretched canvas, by Kenney Mencher
I painted Barton’s Dilemma in 1993, right as I was finishing my MA in art history. This is part of my Fresh Finds project, where I’m releasing older work from my archive.
The reference came from the Coen Brothers' film Barton Fink. I used to sit in front of the TV with a film camera and snap photos of scenes I wanted to paint—usually grainy, low-light, sometimes in black and white. That raw quality shaped how I approached this piece.
I started with a black gesso ground and went straight in, trying to channel the Bay Area Figurative painters like Richard Diebenkorn and Elmer Bischoff. My goal was to use thick paint and keep the brushwork loose and expressive.
This one shows Barton sitting on the bed next to a glowing yellow lamp, washed in green and blue light. It’s oil on canvas, unframed, and still holds that moody cinematic feel I was going for.
