Ken Marsden Art

"Cana Island Lighthouse "

I noticed that I forgot the railing on the previous Blog so here is the finished painting.


Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Cana Island Lighthouse"

Our local art organization hangs paintings in city hall seasonally. This is one of mine that will be going in next Monday for the spring season.

It has been quite a busy time. Yesterday I drove to Madison Wisconsin with a load of paintings that will be hung at the Wisconsin Arts Board Admin Building March 8. Last week I was in Escanaba meeting with coop gallery members trying to find a new location. After 29 years our landlord is closing the building we were in. Yikes!

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Perch"

Here is the second fish in my new series

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"BLUEGILL" The economy is impacting art sales but my affordable ceramic and marble tiles continue to sell well...so I decided to create more of them. Next will be a series of fish paintings. Here is the first one.


Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Hard Life-10" I must have painted this scene 10 times but I didn't count.

Today, sitting in church(before the service started) my mind was triggered by the individual pieces of glass in a stained glass window. I don't know the connection but I next thought about painting a maple leaf in autumn colors. I realized it would be impossible to get it exact. Later as the service progressed and the pastor preached it occurred to me that we can accept what we do not understand. Somehow this all got connected after I got home and embarked on some art project. So--I can accept absract art 'though I do not understand it. What gets me is the number of people who look at an abstract piece and proclaim they do understand it .

Perhaps it's a matter of intellect. I never claimed to be at the top of that list. So, I go on painting cows, etc., which I continue to portray in a manner not quite exact but far from what anyone would call abstract.


Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Cheating"

Years ago My family played a card game called Euchre quite regularly, often at my cousin Bob's house. His sister Helen only lived a few doors away and always was Bob's Euchre partner. They were notorious cheaters. They both passed away some years ago but my memories of those card games and the fun we had lives on. Here is a painting of Bob sneaking a glance at my partner's cards. You had better hold the cards close to your chest.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Texas"

Well, we're back from our very short trip to Texas. The wind was too strong to permit fishing on Lake Fork but I did come away with a commission to paint this bull. The owner raises stock for rodeo events.

I am always nervous about commissions for owners who are expert in an animal breed. They always know so much about the anatomy that it is easy for an artist to get something not quite right. Wish me luck.

Another thing, painting all black animals is difficult. In order to avoid ending with a black blob the artist must resort to trickery and introduce browns, blues, etc. that may not actually be present. Just plain lightened highlights don't seem to work. Oh well! All painting is a form of trickery anyway. Let me know what you think.

Ken