Chet Kempczynski has established a distinctive reputation and a comfortable living while remaining in Hartford for almost all his 51 years. He has shown at nearly all the galleries in the Hartford area and has several clients throughout the country who frequently buy his paintings for thousands of dollars apiece.
He recently completed his second one-person exhibition at Westwood Gallery in Soho, and he is currently represented by a cow (''Ceci n'est pas une vache,'' ''This is not a cow'') pastured in front of the News Corporation building at 1211 Sixth Avenue as part of the New York City ''Cow Parade.''
James Cavello, president of the Westwood Gallery in Soho, which recently presented its second show of Mr. Kempczynski's oils and monotypes, said that the monotype is an art form all its own and that Mr. Kempczynski is one of the gallery's truly unusual artists.
Margarite Almeida, director of the Westwood Gallery, said that Mr. Kempczynski's style is ''representational and slightly abstract.''
''Most artists are aware of other styles and Chet is in touch with what others are doing around him,'' Ms. Almeida said, ''but he's not afraid to follow his own path.''