Bright Surround was commissioned in 1989, in the artist's 80th year. This abstract, mixed media work is an example of how an artist can customize each print edition. Mr. Kainen executed the lithographic portion in five colors with David Adamson and Jack Brumbaugh; he then applied three additional colors by woodcut in his own studio and finished with some hand coloring. The colors give off a subtle throb and pulse with enveloping rhythms, reflecting the feeling Mr. Kainen has for the grand moods of nature.

Jacob Kainen (1909-2001, Waterbury, Connecticut) studied at the Art Student's League and graduated from the Pratt Institute. Associating with fellow New York school artists Stuart Davis, William de Kooning, and Mark Rothko, Kainen worked with a wide range of subjects using various styles and media.

After a stint as a WPA artist during the 1930s, Mr. Kainen came to Washington, D.C., where he served for 20 years as curator of the Smithsonian Institution's graphic arts division, and six years as curator of prints and drawings, National Collection of Fine Arts. He was a pioneer of color lithography, a leader of the Washington Color School.

His works are in important collections in the United States and abroad, including the National Gallery of Art, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Phillips Collection, the Hirshhorn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Bezalel National Museum in Jerusalem, and the British Museum in London.

Special Information: Five-color Lithograph, with wood overlay and some hand coloring, numbered and signed edition of 100 on BFK Rives paper. Sold unframed. Comes with a certificate of authenticity from the Smithsonian.

Image Dimensions: 35 x 25 inches

Paper Dimensions: 41 x 29 inches

Produced By: David Adamson Gallery