KenSwinson.com

Author: Ken

  • Throwing pots on a Rainy Day

    An exciting thing about live video is that you never know what will happen, and there’s no way to edit out the warts and bloopers that are part of real life.

    I haven’t been in my pottery studio for a while, and thought it would be fun to broadcast live while throwing pots and listening to cincinnati’s classical music station, WGUC. After listening to a beautiful piece by composer, Robert Schumann, DJ Elaine Diehl talked about how the composer struggled with mental health, and how music was an important part of his life. Reminding US that during this pandemic, we can think about Schuman and his struggles and music, when we have OUR mood swings and challenges.

    After a few minutes, while still broadcasting, facebook sent me an alert, threatening to stop my broadcast because I was playing copyrighted music. Almost as if on cue, my mood went from happy to rage, and I almost said a few cuss words, while ranting about facebook’s lack of a social conscious.

    I took the video down, because that vibe is not the kind of thing I want to spread among my friends (or to anyone), but I think the story is worth sharing, because, like everyone, I am dealing with maintaining mental health during the uncertainty of the pandemic….lately, art (and listening to WGUC public radio) have been a saving grace, just like music was for Robert Schuman. I hope you are finding and embracing the thing that keeps you healthy and happy right now.

    Another moral to the story, you never know what you are going to get when you watch those live videos, lol! My apologies to anyone who saw me acting like that.

    And here’s a sped up and muted version of what you missed…the pots actually came out pretty good!

  • Blue Cat In The Tree – Work In Progress Video

    Hi Everybody, it’s ken from the log cabin print shop, and today i’m going to start a new linocut.

    Right now, I’m going to start carving my tree, and let’s see how it turns out! I’m working in a size that’s a little bit new to me. It’s 6×8″ which is a little bit bigger than a notecard, but it’s not so big that it would take me days to do all the carving. I like that it’s big enough, i can get some details that I can’t get in a notecard.

    I’ve already worked all the composition out, so it’s a meditative process to just follow the lines and to cut the design into a block of linoleum. I’m working on a theme of a tree with birds and cats. I’d like to have 4 new linocut prints that all relate to each other.

    Keep checking this post for updates. I’m printing the blocks right now, and will be able to share them real soon!

    UPDATE: here they are in their bright blue glory!

  • Goat Eating Tulips – new Linocut notecard

    I have some new colored paper, and thought this new design featuring a goat eating tulips would look good on orange with brown ink. This short video shows the hand carving and printing process with a traditional press to make a unique linocut notecard. If you’d like to support my work and add one of these cards to your collection, you can order one here:

  • Plein Air Painting – Live With Sue Ellen Gorman -Ripley, Ohio 14 October 2020

    Hi everybody…I’ve been painting and hanging with my artist friend, sue ellen gorman, in ripley ohio. Thought I’d invite you all to look over my shoulder for a while I paint.

  • Plein Air painting – Riverside Drive Augusta, Ky 13 October 2020

    Good morning from augusta, ky! This the little river village where it all started for me TWENTY YEARS AGO. And this building is where one of my first friends Jane had an art and antique gallery. Wow! How time flies. It’s good to be back!

  • Horse Print On Green Paper

    got to test my new green paper last night…with green ink, of course!

  • plein air painting the licking river near blue licks state park – 10-9-2020

    I thought I’d take a short drive south to a view of the licking river from a bridge.

    photo of the licking river in early autumn

    I made a underpainting, studying the values of the scene

    plein air underpainting of the Licking River by Kentucky Artist, Ken Swinson

    I was so concentrated on the painting, i forgot to take photos of any other steps. This was a challenge, because it was an overcast day, so the light was diffused.

    the finished painting!!!

  • Plein air painting near the elliott/carter county lines

    I’m close to the elliott/carter county lines, and am going to try to get a painting from this view

    Here is my sketch

    The cell phone reception is not super, but I’ll try to post updates as I work, check back later ..

    Setup and ready to start painting!!!

    I more or less have the values and composition worked out…I’m painting on a board slightly wider than a traditional landscape proportion, so my center of attention keeps falling into the center…supposedly a no no in art, but I think I can make it work…time for color!!!

    This scene is backlit (I’m facing the sun) so I’m having a lot of fun, experimenting with some new color combinations in the shadows

    It’s backlit ( we are facing the sun), so I didn’t get the best photo of the painting with the landscape. When I get back to the studio, i’ll take a better photo to share with you all.

    What an enjoyable experience: painting from life out in the country! I don’t consider myself a representational painter, but I REALLY enjoy the exercise of working from life, learning about light and color. I did some things with color that I never would have tried on my own.

  • Road trip Update

    Some of my friends and family make fun of me. They think I’m becoming agoraphobic during the pandemic. It might be true. I was camping and doing my best to avoid people and indoors while on my recent road trip, but there is a problem of using public bathrooms. I don’t want to use them while Kentucky and Indiana are having record breaking highs in COVID infections.

    selfie style photo of ken the artist with a car loaded with paper

    I skipped over some of my original plan, to arrive at my destination (The French Paper Company), where I stocked up with more paper than I could ever use in a lifetime! Now I’m going home, where I plan to make a lot of woodcuts and never leave the house again!

    UPDATE: 10/8/2020
    I might have a paper problem…not sure where to put all of this. I came up with this idea of a shelf to stack the paper over a set of drawers. I used the 3d Modelling software, Blender (normally for animation and 3d graphics), to plan the design

    it WORKED!!! The lumber was a little bit longer than I thought it would be, so I’ve extended the height…there’s room for one more shelf

    home made shelf for oversized paper

  • Plein Air Road Trip

    I’ve pretty much stayed put since march during the pandemic, so today is a big deal.  I’m going to leave my house and the 5 miles radius in which I live..maybe for a few days. I’m off to madison, indiana to do some painting…then. Brown county indiana (see the awesome guidebook my friend Diane sent me?). After that:  michigan! 

    Artist with car packed with art supplies, holding a book of brown county artists

    I take the pandemic serious, so I’m bringing lots of sanitizer and masks…doing to sleep in a tent. No indoor spaces, or close proximity to other people for me.  Wish me well, and check this website from time to time. I’m going to share trip updates here. 

    4:30 pm UPDATE

    I have been nervous thinking about painting in a public place. Normally I welcome people to look over my shoulder, but not during a pandemic.

    Photo of a farm house near Carrollton, kentucky
    Farmhouse near Carrollton, ky

    I decided to stop and paint a country scene before getting to madison. There was a classic looking farmhouse on a hill by the highway.

    Sketch of the farmhouse scene

    A nice thing about the country, there aren’t a lot of people around, which gives me the opportunity to focus on the painting

    Easel setup ready to paint

    There was no cellphone signal at this spot, which disconnected me from any distractions. It’s been a long time since I’ve painted plein air with no company…in person or virtual.

    Just getting started with the painting

    I tried some experimental things with color that I never would have tried if people were watching. Halfway through the painting, I was really frustrated, and thought I was going to lose the painting

    Plein air painting. Farmhouse near Carrollton, ky

    As luck would have it, I didn’t give up, and the painting came together. I’m happy with how it came out. It’s possibly one of my favorite plein air paintings.

    Plein air painting in the light

    The first photo was with the painting in the shade…here’s another in the light!

    Now I’m in madison, indiana. Instead of put myself in a situation where someone can stop and breathe all over me, (setting an easel and paint up) I’m going to walk around with my sketchbook, and do some pen sketches of the river and old houses. Stay tuned!