Ken Auster

"Swarming"
16 x 20, (c) Ken Auster

Readers who are fellow painters may know that we lost "one of our own" earlier this year--Ken Auster. I was lucky enough to take a workshop with Ken some time ago, and I loved his approach. Sometimes (often?) irreverent, Ken bragged that he never cleaned his brushes.

You should have seen those old paint--encrusted brushes! They reminded me of old brooms from the garage or the attic, whose bristles had splayed, broken off, and hardened. It was amazing to see what he could do with them. If the brushes failed, Ken had no compunction about painting directly with his fingers.

"You're Headin' to Alcatraz"
(c) Ken Auster

Ken was known for his extremely thick paint application. He bought paint in huge tubes, the size of tubes of caulk. In fact, he used a caulk gun to squeeze the paint out onto his palette. He probably used more paint for a single painting than I use in a week. Or maybe a month!

Ken's cityscapes, particularly those of San Francisco, are to die for. And his paintings of people in restaurants, bars, and cafes are equally compelling.

"BV"
(c) Ken Auster

We lost one of a kind in Ken. But it is heartening to know that, thanks to his generous teaching spirit, his words and wisdom live on in those who learned from him. Services, including a paint out, are planned in April to celebrate his life. You can read more about them here.