Artist Amos Kennedy & me at Koelsch Gallery, Houston
I received a notice from Facebook friend the other day announcing a pop-up art sale at Koelsch Haus Gallery in Houston. A pop-up art sale? Of course I was intrigued. So when I arrived Franny Koelsch greeted me at the door and thanked me for attending. I told her that I had to attend, that I’d never been to a pop-up art sale before. To which she answered that she’d never had one before. When I walked into the main gallery the artist was sitting at a table stacked with cardboard posters. He was wearing blue denim overalls with a pink shirt which I now know to be his trademark look, regarding himself as a humble Negro printer. That is how I met Amos Kennedy.
“They’re in no particular order,” he said, inviting me to rummage through stacks of images.
Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. is a former computer programmer who abandoned that career for his love of printing. Years back he saw a printing press in action during a visit to Colonial Williamsburg. Since then he has operated a successful print shop out of Gordo, Alabama—though he related to me that he is currently residing and working in Detroit.
Amos Kennedy’s work has heavy emphasis on African-American culture and his images highlight various quotes and names from the Civil Rights Movement. He told me that he works in series. I found a museum installation online in which he covered a whole wall with 72 posters of Rosa Parks quotes.
Rosa Parks quote poster by Amos Kennedy
For lack of wallspace and ease of framing I started with the smaller images but quickly graduated to the larger, more complex ones.
His prints are exceptionally vibrant and bold. Letterpress printing is a process inherently hard edged; but the artist builds layers of texts and colors to achieve his aesthetic. I was leaning toward a quote about an artist (something about getting drunk and buying artwork) until I stumbled upon a gorgeous Rosa Parks quote reading, “I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free and wanted other people to be also free. ~ Rosa Louise Parks”. It was so beautiful that it made my selection simple.
The artist told me that he works in the traditional size for poster bills. And in lieu of framing he recommended, “Just hang it on your wall with a thumb tack!”
I admit that I knew little about Amos Kennedy until I visited Koelsch’s pop-up art sale. But I found plenty of great information about him. In fact, he’s been named to Southern Living’s 50 People Who Are Changing the South in 2015 list! And now that I know his Rosa Parks images are quite celebrated, I know that I picked an exemplary poster to add to my collection.
He signed the bottom of my print, posed for a quick picture, then I was off into the city for my next adventure. If he makes another appearance in Houston I would like to see more of his work. He is quite a charming gentleman and his art is reasonably priced.