HERE'S WHAT KEN HAS TO SAY

ART AND MY LIFE

Tell us about how you became interested in art, a bit about your life.

I have always been interested in creating art. I loved to draw as a kid and pursued art classes in high school. I tried all kinds of media: pottery, ceramics, paintings, drawing, woodworking. I was interested in all art forms. That and music – I could not get enough. I took organ lessons in my youth and still play today, though time is limited and the fingers seems somewhat slower than in the past.

I joined the Air Force right out of high school, and many of my pursuits were put on hold, though I made some paintings during that time for friends. Marriage and children became my priority after the Air Force. I got a job back home and have been with the same company for the last 26 years.

Four years ago I logged onto the classmates.com web site to find some old friends from my Air Force years and located one of my best friends from that time. Since my wife Johanna and I already had a trip planned to California that year, we got to visit my friend’s home there. He had two of my paintings from 22 years earlier hanging on his walls. What fun to see my friend and my paintings after so long a time! My wife had no idea I loved to paint, so for Christmas that year she surprised me with paints, easel, and all the supplies I needed. I took lessons from a local teacher, and my journey into painting began anew.

What traditional media, if any, have you used in the past to create your art? Do you still?

Over the last few years I have taken lessons from some national painting teachers who travel. I have enjoyed those classes tremendously. I learned how to paint using the “Grisaille” method of under painting using gray tones and am considering certifying in order to teach that technique – one I love using. I have painted using acrylic and oils. I have no real painting experience with watercolor.

How does Painter fit? How, when, and where did you discover Painter?

I discovered painter in 2005. I was browsing the internet for classes once I had bought the tool. I found Painter Talk and Karen Bonaker and have been here ever since. It’s my home in the painter world.

How does it fit into your art life?

Painter is fitting into my life even more so than traditional media currently. I feel I can experiment more and take chances with new ideas and techniques without the concern of wasting expensive art materials. I can also create something in Painter with the intention of replicating it with traditional media.

Tell us how you made the transition from traditional media to Painter. (If you did.)

I do feel I have made the transition to Painter very well. Painter has been a journey all its own, I really enjoy working with this tool. The exploration is endless and the variety of results does boggle the mind.

One thing I have been doing more of is printing out my projects and embellishing them with acrylics and mediums, textures and glazes. Wow that is fun and the results are fantastic. The sky is the limit.

WHO ARE YOUR ART HEROES?

Contemporary artists?

Robert Warren, Helen Van Wyk

Artists from history?

Rembrandt.

Most inspirational Painter artist(s)?

Karen Bonaker, Jeremy Sutton

FROM THE PAINTER CAN TO THE EASEL

What’s in your personal pack of brushes you don’t ever want to lose? The ones you reach for first, or can make a whole painting with?

Actually I don’t have many real favorites. I use whatever I think will do the job for the effect I want.

Are there other tools in Painter you consider favorites as you create your art

I just really enjoy the papers in painter and the textures it can create.

Do you paint from your own (or others’) photos?

I do like to use a photo and then to clone and trace. This is my starting point for a new painting. At times I like to composite a few photos together to make a new and original scene. I have made paintings from photos too.

…or do you prefer to start from a blank canvas? Or both?

I love to use Painter from a blank canvas. It feels to me like I have my canvas on my easel. At that moment of beginning, I’m the freest. This new painting just might be my greatest masterpiece. I don’t fear the blank canvas – it’s my open window to creativity.

WHAT NOW?

What do you want the viewer to feel when they look at your art?

I want them to feel a sense of peace. I hope to remove some of the stress in life. I hope my images express a yearning for peace in the world. I know it seems like a crazy concept. In this world where people hate each other just because they live in a certain country or believe in a higher being or God other than their own, I feel I need to express peace.

Do you feel that you are paving the way for digital art to have a real impact on the art scene?

Yes I do. I had brought some traditional paintings and some digital paintings to a location to sell. My traditional paintings sold fine. The digitals didn’t. Even though folks had many wonderful things to say about them, they didn’t want to buy them. I think I will embellish them to make them unique and try again. I think people are warming up to this form of media, but we still have work to do.

Where do you want to go from here with your art?

As stated before the sky is the limit. I think as people recognize that digital art is just another form of artistic expression, then it will be better received. I do believe that day is coming.

Ken Laplante

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