KenSwinson.com

Category: video

  • Stacked Sheep-new woodcut

    To celebrate the arrival of fall (wool season is right around the corner) I wanted to share my latest woodcut with you all. I have been working on larger (to me) woodcuts 13×20″ blocks on 20×24″ paper.

    If you’d like to have one (and also support my work), you can order one below:

  • instagram stories

    If you watch me on Instagram, I share short, 12 second stories that disappear after 24 hours. Here are 3 recent ones that I made.

  • Flannery’s Dream – Large Woodcut Print

    Flannery’s Dream – Large Woodcut Print

    I’m working on a series of large, hand made woodcut prints. I and wanted to share my latest, “Flannery’s Dream” the video below shows some of the process in making it:

    “Flannery’s Dream” is a Kentucky folk story about a fiddler who was challenged to play a tune that had never heard before. He exhausted all the tunes he knew–without succeeding, then fell asleep. In his dream, he saw a bear with a fiddle. The bear chased him while playing a tune. The next day, he remembered the tune, and won the challenge!!!

    If you’d like to support my work and have one of these woodcuts for your art collection. I am selling them for $60.

  • Arts Of All Sorts – Old Washington, KY

    Arts Of All Sorts – Old Washington, KY

    I made a short video of Old Washington’s recent: Arts of all sorts. The video was LIVE, so it’s a little bit shaky and I did do any editing, but it takes you into the moment of visiting our little village during an art activity. I’m so lucky to be a part of such a creative community. Thanks everyone for making it possible!

    If you don’t have the time to watch the whole video, here are a few photos of the video’s highlights.

    basket weavers in old washington kentucky
    woman making a clay whistle in old washington kentucky
    father michael henderson spinning wool in old washington kentucky
    barb clarke and ginny b butler volunteering in old washington kentucky
    children painting a mural in old washington kentucky
    theresa barns leading a felting activity in old washington kentucky
    artists painting in old washington kentucky
    artists doing body painting in old washington kentucky
    woodcarving in old washington Kentucky
    tents at washington hall in old washington kentucky
    pottery making pottery in old washington kentucky
    printmaking at old washington kentucky
    linocut of the old washington courthouse being struck by lightning in old washington kentucky
    pottery in old washington kentucky
    marie kelsch in old washington kentucky
    aromatherapy in old washington kentucky
    acrylic pour painting in old washington Kentucky
    mushroom
    maysville mayor david cartmel buying pottery in old washington kentucky

  • Circle of Friends

    Circle of Friends

    For August’s ArtZINE, our theme is: Life Turns Full Circle. We are celebrating a full year of visiting different small towns and collaborating with local and visiting artists.  I have enjoyed exploring the different small towns, but my favorite part of the project are the new friends I have made while visitng their communities. We are meeting August 30th in Warsaw, KY. You are welcome to join us. 

    For my entry, I decided to carve a woodcut poster. I haven’t carved a woodcut this size before, but once I settled into the rhythm of carving, it went smooth. Here are some photos and videos of the process:

    sketch for a woodcut of a cat. with a cat looking up at the printmaking
    Sketch on the block of wood
    carving a woodcut for printmaking. a brown dog looking over the corner
    slow and steady…carving the first bird. (with Lulubelle’s Supervision)
    woodcut of a cat surrounded by birds work in progress
    more progress…
    work in progress woodcut of a cat holding a bird ready to print
    the carved block…ready for a test print!
    artist ken swinson holding a new woodcut of a cat holding a bird
    The Test proof!

    I have wanted to start making something that is big, affordable, and still original art, crafted by my hands (not gliclees or reproductions). I know a lot of people who love original art, and have big spaces on their walls, but they don’t have a big art budget. I think that woodcut posters could be the perfect solution.



    I am printing this woodcut on a heavyweight, acid free 100% cotton paper.
    The artwork is 12 1/2″x20″
    The paper is 15″x22″

    The posters are signed, but not limited or numbered; which lets me get the price down to $60. I’m still going to offer free shipping in the USA, however, the art will be rolled in a tube, instead of mailed flat.

    If you are familiar with my work, you know that this is a great price for one of my woodcuts at this size. If I get a good response from this poster, I hope to be able to create more soon. Thanks everyone for supporting my work!

  • artZINE in Sandy Hook, KY – about us

    If you are curious about what we do while visiting a different small town each month with Art Zine, we made this video last month in Sandy Hook.

    thanks Tabitha Dial and Sue Ellen Gorman for participating and helping explain our project. and thanks Maddie Gorman for taking the video!

  • Sketching in Downtown Cincinnati

    Sketch Trip In Cincinnati

    Viaje de dibjuo en Cincinnati

  • Framing Prints

    I make my frames from scratch, and it takes many days from start to finish. All the hard work is worth it, look how good my block prints look in my hand made frames. I’m so proud of them, I put. my signature on the frame.

  • people will never forget how you made them feel

    I’m part of a project, called artZine. Each month, visiting artists collaborate with the community of a different small town to create a self published magazine. each month, there is a theme. April’s artZine will be on the 23rd, and our theme is “I remember when…”

    this activity is free and open to the public. April 23rd, at the barn in Rabbit Hash, KY. There is still time to draw, paint, write, print, or create an entry however you are inspired. We’ll meet from 10-4pm.

    for my entry, I chose to make a linocut of Maya Angelou’s famous quote because it illustrates the abstraction of memory, and the importance of kindness. Rabbit Hash, KY.

    people will always remember how you made them feel

  • Reduction Print – April 16, 2016 -Ripley, Ohio

    This video shows a little bit of what goes on during the 2 weeks it took to make this reduction woodcut of a river village (Ripley, OH) on the Ohio River.

    My background as an artist is in many mediums, but primarily painting. This project is part of an experiment to see if I can print similar to the way I paint.

    Because the block is destroyed as part of the printing process, there is only a very limited edition of 12 available.