About the Artist

Biography and Background

Ken Brodeen grew up in Iowa, pursued an engineering degree at Iowa State University and had a long and memorable career as a military and commercial pilot.  Ken has owned a landscape design business and worked for several years in real estate sales.  His art, primarily in oil and acrylics, reflect his upbringing in an area noted for the broad expanses of farms and fields and the sense of freedom they suggest.    Living in Texas for the last 40 years, Ken is still fascinated by the spaciousness of rural areas, and strives to portray the heart and soul of them in his work. 

Ken relies heavily on his knowledge of drafting that was part of his engineering education as well as drawing upon his past experience as a technical illustrator.   He has been involved in many local art workshops over the last several years, has taught painting classes and has studied under such well-known artists as Carl Rice Embry and Vincent Valdez at the San Antonio Art Institute at the McNay and Southwest School of Art.

Artist's Statement

I love broad, open rural areas which are the subject of most of my landscapes.  My paintings and sketches are stimulated by the lighting and shadows in and about rural settings.   Objects such as a metal roof, an abandoned tractor or even an oil storage tank beside the road tell a story about the people who once lived and worked there.   The reflected light and shadows of these objects help tell the story.  Even though most of my paintings are in oil or acrylics, there are times when I feel a black and white portrayal of the scene is more in order, and it is easy to spend as much time on these that are spent on most color mediums.  My favorite is graphite, but love working with charcoal or pen and ink.   Most of my paintings are on cradled fiberboard panels.

So rural areas hold a high degree of mystery for me.  There have been many times, while driving in the country, I will stop along a road to sketch or photograph a scene, and have been captivated by the complete absence of sound.   But then will come drifting the faint sound of a screen door banging somewhere and a woman's laughter.  In the stillness, it could be a mile off!   I suppose some things just can't be painted, but I get the same sense of mystery from some settings in rural life that suggest an undefined narrative about people.   You might say that I like "working the land" on paper or canvass.    I strive to honor what abilities that have been graciously given me.

Thank you for visiting my website.   I can be reached through [email protected] or at 210 860 6402.