Ken Marsden BIO

Eighty-plus year old watercolor artist Ken Marsden likes to say he is self-taught but that is not completely true.  Early family inspiration from an artist brother and aunt in the picturesque and historic town of Galena, Illinois provided a good start to a multi-faceted and interesting life.  During those teen years he was taken under the wing of Chicago artist and printer Gordon Martin.  Jammed packed into that life were later stints in both the US Army and Navy.  Also along the way was an intensive course in engineering drafting that propelled him into six  years as a design draftsman, illustrator and cartoonist.  With that behind him he found time to get a business degree from the University of Illinois where as a student he worked as a draftsman in the University Architect's Office and also illustrated Professor Beberman's newly developed "New Math" text books.   The university degree led to top marketing and management jobs in several national corporations, including one he founded.  Now, for 21 years he has focused on studying art and demonstrating his fresh, straight-forward approach to watercolor painting.

Ken Marsden Artist Statement

My paintings are a simple interpretation of the beautiful world God has given us to enjoy.  My desire is to create paintings that allow the viewer a moment of peace, however brief - perhaps trigger a pleasant memory.

I paint, with rare exception, in a traditional transparent watercolor style, i.e. I use no white paint and rely on the whiteness of the paper.  My palette utilizes limited color.  My work is fairly realistic but intentionally falls short of depicting precise detail.

I hope you enjoy it,