Kenneth R. Nunamaker

Kenneth Nunamaker worked in the art department of the Akron Engraving Company and taught himself to paint in his free time. He brought sketch pads and canvases to the Ohio countryside where he painted the natural scenes. He moved to Philadelphia in 1918 to become Art Director for Hoedt Studios until 1945. He lived in Glenside and then in 1923 bought a home in Center Bridge, residing in Bucks County from 1918 until his death in 1957. Nunamaker painted primarily landscapes, with a particular interest in winter scenes, and was influenced by Edward Redfield. He was skilled in his use of built-up impasto and carefully blended colors. He exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, the National Academy of Design in New York, and the International Gallery in Venice, Italy. From 1945-1957, he operated his own commercial art studio in Philadelphia with Alfred Nunamaker, his son, who also was a painter.

Education and Training
Art Department for Akron Engraving Co., Akron, Ohio
Art Director, Hoedt Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Teachers and Influences
Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, other artists in the New Hope School

Connection to Bucks County
Kenneth R. Nunamaker moved to Bucks County in 1918, first residing in Glenside. In 1923, he bought a 19th century farmhouse in Center Bridge at the corner of River Road, where he lived until his death in 1957. A recognized member of the New Hope School, he exhibited locally at Phillip's Mill, the Playhouse Galleries and the Lambertville House.

Colleagues and Affiliations
Edward Redfield, Daniel Garber, Alfred Nunamaker, his son; Harry Rosin, and artists of the New Hope School. Nunmaker knew many area artists including Edward Redfield and Daniel Garber. He was a member of the Phillip's Mill Art Association and of the New Hope Art Associates.

Major Solo Exhibitions
Playhouse Galleries, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1952
Bucks County Education Building Gallery, 1953
Lambertville House, Lambertville, New Jersey, 1957
New Hope Historical Society, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1960
Newman Galleries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1984

Major Group Exhibitions
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1922, 1925, 1927, 1931, 1937
Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1923, 1926
National Academy of Design, New York, New York, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1929
Philadelphia Sesquicentennial International Exposition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1926
Akron Art Institute, Akron, Ohio, 1927
Springville Museum of Art, Utah, 1929
Newman Galleries, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1939
New Hope Art Associates, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1939
Phillips Mill 50th Anniversary Retrospective Art Exhibition, Phillips Mill, New Hope, Pennsylvania, 1979
International Gallery, Venice, Italy
The Pennsylvania Impressionist: Painters of the New Hope School, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 1990
Carved, Incised, Gilded and Burnished: The Bucks County Framemaking Tradition, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 2000-2001
An Evolving Legacy: Twenty Years of Collecting at the Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 2009

Teaching and Professional Appointments
Art Director, Hoedt Studios, Philadelphia, 1918-1945
Director Nunamaker Studio, Philadelphia, 1945-1957

Affiliations and Memberships
Phillips' Mill Art Association
New Hope Art Associates