Featured Artists in our Taproom
Current Exhibition:
Stephen Hugh Speier
American, 1943-2024
This collection offers a small glimpse of Stephen Hugh Speier’s creative work over the final two decades of his life, an approach that crystallized into what he called abstract impressionism. This phase stands out for Speier’s exploration of color, form, and space. While his works can burst with vibrant hues, he also embraced the stark beauty of black and white, and the dynamic possibilities of negative space. A prolific painter, he described his paintings as meditations on canvas, captured moments of stillness and presence. He worked in oil, acrylic, watercolor, on a range of surfaces: wood, canvas, board, paper, cardboard - any material he could get his hands on. This collection specifically highlights his use of canvas, boards, and poster board paper. And since there was never a surface he would not use, he even used the plastic packaging! Speier had been visiting Fifth Hammer regularly since its opening in 2017, and he loved nothing more than a crisp pilsner. Enjoy a Pentatonic Pilsner in remembrance!