Artist Information
Artist
Ken FaulksRole
PainterDate made
1989Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST STATEMENT
"I work both en plein air and in the studio. Although oil is my main medium, I enjoy watercolour, gouache and acrylic as well.
I love the abstractness of paint and what a brush stroke or a blob of paint can do. Painting en plein air is a great process. It’s a challenging and satisfying one.
Although my work is generally representational, I also enjoy non-representational painting.
Whether painting en plein air or in the studio, the reference I’m painting from is only a starting point. When done, the painting and more specifically the paint is what’s left to look at and consider. I’m no longer looking at a tree, a field, rocks, water or clouds….I’m looking at a painting. A three dimensional object.
At the end of the day, I consider the paint itself to be the subject. Therefore, it’s important for the paint be doing something interesting, to engage the viewer and bring them back for more."
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Victoria, B.C., Ken Faulks is a noted Canadian "plein air" painter of landscapes. Faulks was interested in drawing and design from an early age, and by 1983 was freelancing as a commercial illustrator. In 1985 he created Artech Graphics Ltd. and became a full-time illustrator. In 1989, Faulks began painting landscapes "en plein air" using the methods and media of the famed Canadian Group of Seven. Painting in watercolour, as well as acrylic and oil (often using an impasto technique where paint is laid on to provide texture) he is known for his striking landscapes. Faulks co-created "The 2 1/2" in 1990 with painters Andrew Wooldridge and Marie Stevens, initiating gallery exhibitions in 1991. Faulks is a Senior Member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and the Island Illustrators Society.