"Plein Air Painter"
Some times when painting "en plein air" another artist will set up unintentionally in the sight path of what you intended to paint.  When it is a beautiful lady you don't mind.  In this painting she became the subject and the old farm house became merely the background.

The site was the Blind Horse Restraunt and Winery.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Stonington Lighthouse 412"      Thanks for looking at my latest.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

  "Todd's Pond"

I recently joined The Water's Edge Artists, an alliance of plein air artists dedicated to the conservation of water resources  in the Lakeshore Basin of northeastern Wisconsin.  We do "paint-outs" on a regular schedule and many of the resulting paintings are sold to benefit the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership.  This painting was done at our last paint-out in the Woodland Dunes Nature Center near Two Rivers, Wisconsin.  I see I forgot to sign it.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

Here is a poster I created for a gallery in Galena, Illinois that I thought was going to represent me (my work).  It didn't work out but I still intend to market the posters in that area.  Thanks for looking!      Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Galena 22312"

Grant Park, Galena, Illinois

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Galena"   My hometown, Galena, Illinois is famous for a number of reasons.  One, is the Civil War history associated with it.  This includes the town's most famous citizen, General and President U.S. Grant.  Here is a statue of him overlooking the Bandstand in beautiful Grant Park.                   

Ken Marsden Art

"Landscape 21012"

...another painting inspired by my friend Joe Lopez.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Bench Street,  Galena,  Illinois"

Galena still draws me like a magnet.  I grew up there and still do many paintings of the town and area.  Its Civil War history, architecture and beauty make it a unique tourist attraction. I'm hoping that this summer I will again have gallery representation in that wonderful little town.

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Road to Town-2"
Yes, you probably have looked at the scene before but not this painting.  It is another one of my redos. 

Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Alone"
I did the first version of this shortly after my wife Polly died.  Whether or not that influenced the title I do not know.  Quite a number of people have thought and said the figure looked to be me.  It was not.  The scene was taken from two old timers loading their boat at Peshtigo Harbor near where I live in Wisconsin.  In the studio I decided to eliminate one figure and just have the solitary old guy at his boat.  I think that is where the title came from.  I had numerous requests for Tiles and printed reproductions but the digital image I had on file was too poor quality to reproduce so I have done it over-better I think. 
Ken

Ken Marsden Art

"Rodeo Gal #2"

I haven't been to a Rodeo in quite a few years.  They are fun, even for folks like me who don't know much about the technical aspects.  This painting was done from a photograph I took at a rodeo in Iron River, Michigan.

The "blooms" in the watercolor background were deliberate and I think go well with the style and mood of the painting.

My friend and artist Jan Bernson has asked me to teach or demo one of her classes in Gladstone, Michigan.  I think I might incorporate the use of deliberate "mistakes" in that class.

Thanks for looking!
Ken

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