Ken Marsden Art

  


"Trout Hole 10"

The footing can be a little dangerous but these are the spots the trout like.



Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Peshtigo River in Winter"

Needs work, huh?

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

View from my backyard.  December 12, 2011.

Ken Marsden

Ken Marsden Art

Hi!   I don't usually write much in my blogs.  Usually I just present a painting and perhaps a few words about that painting.  Yesterday I responded to a friend's email and in the course of writing that response I got into the subject of using my brain, or more to the point, not using my brain.

In thinking about how little I use my brain I realized that I have been quite lazy about using it.  Maybe it is a function of me not being too smart.  But, I suppose rationalizing, I decided that perhaps the reason I am so content is because I use my brain so little.  I mean I know a lot of folks who seem to worry about so many things and that makes them very anxious.

I decided that there is an additionaal benefit.  Like a very old car with extremely low mileage I am hoping my brain has a lot left.  Unfortuately I think the fenders and other body parts have rusted out and are falling off.  But there I go thinking.  I have to cut that out and save the wear and tear.  I'll just stick to painting.


Ken

Ken Marsden Art

Floral 11052011

I usually do my own framing but several years ago I purchased a mat and frame in an art gallery because it was so well done.  Apparently the dealer had it left over for reasons unknown to me.  It was in perfect condition and tripple matted in a striking manner.  The inner liner was pink.   This sat around in my studio for several years and I finnaly decided to paint something that would match well with the beautiful mat.

That is how this painting came to be.

Ken 

Ken Marsden Art

"Cosmos"

This seems to me to be a most unusual autumn.  We have yet to have had a hard frost and here it is November.  Flowers are still trying to look their best.  A few Cosmos which we admired all summer are still "hanging in there."  It prompted me to do this small painting.  As an added incentive, I need some small pieces for an upcoming show November 12th in Marquette, MI.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

Hemingwy Home

Winter is not far off and I was thinking about past winter-time travels. Years ago, before they priced me out of our trips to the Florida Keys, my wife and I used to love to visit the Hemingway home in Key West.  It is one of the few places where I always got a real feeling of being where history occured, in this case where he wrote many of the stories I so enjoyed.

The painting here is severly cropped but it is the best I could do right now.  Like my travel, this painting is from years ago.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Marsden's Little Nell"

I came across this painting that I did of Nell in 1978.  She was the greatest dog we ever had in our family.  Her hunting feats were legendary but at the same time she was wonderful around the house.  She died in 1985 and I still miss her.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Upper Peninsula, Michigan"   I'm still not satisfied with the composition and welcome comments.

Ken

"Bond Falls"


Yes!  I posted this painting before.  After showing it to fellow artist Suzy Decker I decided to follow her advice and soften the top of the waterfall.  She was correct.  It improved the painting.

Suzy is an excellent artist.  She also has work in the East Ludington Gallery in Escanaba, MI.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Bond Falls"
One of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's most magnificent waterfalls.  I did take a few liberties with the composition.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Hollyhocks"

Ken Marsden

Ken Marsden Art

My latest little book is "Camping for Old People".  I still haven't figgured out how to add my books to my web site www.kenmarsden .com so in the meantime anyone who might want a copy can just contact me.  The price is $6.25 plus H&S of $1.00.

Ken Marsden Art

I recently wrote and illustrated a little book (20 pages), "Conversations with a Cat."  I just added  a new page to my web site, www.kenmarsden.com to include books...nothing serious, just fun things prompted by happy life experiences.  The next one to be published shortly is about hints for old people who decide to take up camping.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Stonnington"
I took a few liberties with this scene at the old lighthouse in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  Now I wish I had put a few seagulls in the painting as I had done in a previous work at this location.  Usually I work out the composition in my head before painting and if I had done that seagulls would have been included.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Geese"   I used this same basic composition in a previous painting but painted this one in a little different manner...hope you like it.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Ephemerella dorothea"   I was honored to have this painting selected to be on the cover of Ministry Health's  summer issue of Health Connection.  It is on ministryhealth.org/Summer2011.  The title confuses some.  It is the name of the Mayfly in the picture, commonly called the Green Drake.

Ken Marsden Art

"Floral 5/11/11"

I don't paint many florals, especially cut flowers in a vase, but I just had the urge to do this one.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Early Instruction"

We live on the Bay of Green Bay here in Wisconsin and every year we are able to watch several families of geese raise their young. It is rather amazing to see the progression of the lessons taught and learned. Of course the little pond I depicted here is not the Bay of Green Bay.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Brule River" Trout season is almost here and that means it is time to get the gear ready - like I haven't been doing that all winter. I think my fishing tackle gets more wear from me arranging and rearranging it all winter than it gets from actual fishing.
This is a favorite spot-both for fishing and for camping.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Geese"

I decided to use my source material for a former painting titled "Late Supper" and change the composition a little...hope you like it.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

I just did this painting but my resource material was gathered over twenty years ago. Sometimes it takes me awhile to get around to doing a painting- though I must confess I did other versions of this scene some years ago.

At the present time, the original as well as reproductions are available from www.fineart america.com or link through my website.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

...just a reminder for those folks nearby, April 21, is "Third Thursday" at East Ludington Gallery in Escanaba, MI. From 4:30 to 6:00 the artists of the gallery gather for snacks, beverages and great conversation. You are invited and can enjoy a special discount as well as be treated to a demonstration by Kay Eaton. I hope to see you there.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Summer Road"

Some may remember my painting "Road to Town" which was a winter scene. I decided to use the same basic composition and do it as a summer scene.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Weborg's Dock"

...yet another scan of a past painting. This one was of a commercial fishing operation in Door County, Wisconsin.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Time"

This was my High School in Galena, Illinois. I think it has been turned into condominiums now. What a landmark!

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Green Island"

There is a proposed 90 million dollar resort going onto this little Island just 5 miles out from my backyard. The lighthouse has long since disappeared but when I painted this circa 1970 it was uninhabited, visited only by local boats for picnics, etc.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

Untitled

...yet another scan from a book of paintings I did years ago. I think I had a title but must have forgotten to record it.

Ken

"Galena"

My home town of Galena, Illinois still fascinates me. This is something I scanned from a book of watercolor paintings I did many years ago. The colors didn't come out quite right but close enough.

Ken Marsden Art

"In the Net"

11" X 8"

watercolor

Ken Marsden Art

"Winter" If this looks familiar it's because I have done this scene before. Of course every watercolor is different.

Ken