Ken Smith

Riverside, United States

About the Artist:
The ongoing theme of my work is the recognition of natural forces, shapes, gestures & especially, time. When I choose my subjects to work with, I feel a sense of belonging to the innate forms ... these natural shapes – some ravaged by time. It is satisfying for me, through my work, to identify the most basic truths that are common denominators of life's dynamic both in humans and in the rest of the natural world.

My work is influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, and tao & zen philosophy. Tho I feel there are many complexities inside my imagery, I struggle with the contradiction that comes in paring the work down to the Simple.

My creative life began in 1969 as a freelance writer, and commercial & editorial photographer. Since 1991, I have been concentrating on limited edition, fine-art work, and for the past thirteen years I have been working primarily in the still life genre. I print my work in black & white and color, using archival pigment ink on fine papers. This medium has imbued my work with exciting new possibilities for creative expression and presentation.

My work has been exhibited internationally ... is in corporate and private collections in the United States, Europe and Japan. I live and work from my log home in the foothills of the North Cascades in north central Washington State - a natural environment which stimulates my spirit and artwork.

Artist's Statement:
In all of my still life work, I work to bring the viewer in close to the subject, so there is a personal involvement. In "Exposed Snow Peas", I wanted to open the pod of snow peas to 'expose' the forms inside and out.

In "Spring Star", I exposed the subject twice, both backlit and from the front, then combined the exposures to create a translucence.