Painted outdoors, John Riepenhoff’s Skies series captures impressions of the night sky around the world, including Japan, Scotland, and Northern Wisconsin, and is an investigation of painting in unconventional locations. Skies (Globular Cluster III) is a hybrid impression of multiple nights’ skies of Milwaukee’s light-filled urban center. The repetition of stripes occupies the linen ground, creating a struggle between the urban lights and the emptiness of the vast night sky. The viewer is left with a duality of yearning to see past the light while being captivated by it simultaneously. Riepenhoff curates and co-owns The Green Gallery and is a co-organizer of The Milwaukee International and Dark Fairs. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at the Center for Contemporary Art And Culture, Portland; Lynden Sculpture Garden, Milwaukee; Queens Park Railway Club, Glasgow; Museum of Eigg, Isle of Eigg; and Western Exhibitions, Chicago.
