Ken Irvin: artist

Ken Irvin is an artist painting in oils, watercolour and pastel. His work is based on reality, but he is not a photographic realist, he is more concerned that the image produced is about the impression created by the sensations of light and atmosphere.

"My paintings are my representations of real places and people in a specific time and place. Much of the reality is filtered out or given an exaggerated importance. The subject is still there in my paintings and drawings but the image is my interpretation of what I see before me. It is an equivalent image. There is no pretension; it is what it is, an arrangement of marks on paper or canvas."

Ken’s subjects are many and varied but he takes great joy and finds rich inspiration in the landscapes and seascapes of the beautiful south west of England where he lives. In particular the coast of Devon and Cornwall provides an extensive source of material. He also enjoys the demanding discipline of drawing and painting portraits as well as the human figure and for Ken this is about capturing the individual and expressive character of the individual rather than creating a photographic representation. ...more

"As I paint I usually have a very clear idea of how the finished painting will look. This is certainly true when working directly from the figure or a landscape. However, with other paintings I will start with the germ of an idea, perhaps based on a sketch, a photograph and/or the memory of an event, and I will just let it happen as I respond to the paint and explore the idea. Often I will build layers of paint as the picture grows. This process can take some time; weeks, months or even years and so I will usually work on several pieces at the same time and allow them to cross pollinate each other."

His current project is to create a series of full length portraits of key figures in the life of Bishopsteignton village: "This project will certainly keep me occupied for some years to come as there are many potential subjects in the village."

Ken has work in private collections throughout the world and following the success of his recent solo exhibition he is currently planning his next showing.