Kenneth M. Evans, DAYBREAK, oil on canvas, 18×24 inches (24 x 23 framed), $2,800
Work of the Week
In “Daybreak” early morning walkers enjoy the view at that magical moment when night becomes day. A local Cape Cod beach scene captured at the point of maximum contrast of color, light and dark. Ken Evans, the artist, has a bank of memorized images from which to create and paint when back in the studio. He had just spent a few days on the Hyannis Port, Sandwich and Scargo beachfronts watching what happens as the dark of night fades and the brilliance of day begins. One morning gave him an image and a setting for his Railroad Wharf painting, a rather historically based piece shown at his recent one person Cape Cod Maritime Museum show. Another morning there was no sunrise at all, and it remained dark grey until after 9am. Ahh, but on the next day a scene like “Daybreak” happened and others came out on the beach to enjoy it as well. “I immediately knew it was a painting I wanted to do,”says Ken.
Ken has been painting most of his life, starting in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and progressing through many genres until becoming a professional gallery artist over 20 years ago. By that time he felt most comfortable with realism. It would seem from most of the changes he has gone through, from each something has tended to stay with him. He now says, “For many years I do not paint in any one recognized genre, style or theory.” I use them all. Why not? They exist and are only ways of expressing oneself with producing an image. For instance, he uses paint height and surface to create light and distance effects not possible with a flat surface. Palette knife and abstraction are often used in water and sky areas.” Some are old methods not used much in a while, yet some are still considered very modern, as is his use of Rothko’s Color Field concepts in many of his backgrounds.
Creativity has been a constant passion throughout his life. As he have always lived on the coast and sailed a great deal early on, he often has a strong emotional response not only to the beauty of our coastal seas and lands, but he also has developed a deeper understanding of how these sustain us and are necessary to our daily lives. As he paints he finds these coastal areas particularly magnificent and inspirational. As of late about half of his work would be seascape and the other half marine subjects.
His work has been written of and advertised in all the major art magazines from Fine Art Connoisseur to American Art Review, and his work has sold nationally and internationally.