Label
From “Keeping an Eye on History” at the OSH 2018
Interior, The Red House
Ken Carls
oil on canvas panel, ca. 2003
the story | The Red House, 325 Water Street, Douglas, overlooks Wade’s Bayou and the Kalamazoo River across to Saugatuck to the north. Designed by architect Jeff Scherer and completed in 2001, one of the barn-like house’s most notable features is a four-foot-by-sixteen-foot window in the living room (a portion of which is shown at the right side of the painting) that affords commanding views of the Bayou. The window was inspired by a similar window at Tonawanda, a house farther down the Kalamazoo designed by well-known Chicago designer Florence Hunn in 1927.
the artist | Ken Carls, Professor Emeritus, School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is a graphic designer and artist who divides his time between Michigan and California. Based in Douglas, he has actively promoted local arts and cultural not-for-profits for many years, serving on the boards of Ox-Bow, Saugatuck Center for the Arts, and Saugatuck-Douglas History Center, in addition to maintaining his art practice both here and in Palm Springs.
SDHC Collection, gift of Kenneth R. Carls and James A. Schmiechen
Accession number 2018.13.04Label
From "Collecting the Lakeshore" 2025-2026 at the History Center main floor gallery
Ken Carls
active artist
Interior at the Red House
circa 2003 | oil on canvas panel
Interior subjects are rare in the art history of the Art Coast. This painting and the one below it provide a unique view into domestic material life at the Lakeshore over the last century.
The Red House at 325 Water Street in Douglas, overlooks Wade’s Bayou and the Kalamazoo River across to Saugatuck to the north. Designed by architect Jeff Scherer and completed in 2001, one of the barn-like house’s most notable features is a four-foot-by-sixteen-foot window in the living room that affords commanding views of the Bayou.
Ken Carls, Professor Emeritus, School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is a graphic designer and artist who divides his time between Michigan and California.
This artwork along with twenty-six additional pieces were donated to the History Center’s permanent collection in 2018 and featured in the exhibit Keeping an Eye on History.
Gift of Kenneth R. Carls and James A. Schmiechen
Accession number 2018.13.04