An Artist Finds Himself

In A Reflective Mood

By Shannon Hicks

Ken Evans may have retired less than a year ago, but like many other retirees, the former Newtown resident is as busy today as he was while he was practicing law. These days Mr Evans is busy with another interest, however: oil painting.

Grey Horse Gallery will host an opening reception for the second solo show by Mr Evans at the Sandy Hook gallery this weekend. A reception will be presented from 2 to 6 pm on Saturday, April 28. Grey Horse is at 4 Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook (in the rear of the Masonic hall; entrance is from St John’s Episcopal Church driveway off Washington Avenue/Route 34 or through The Villa’s driveway off Riverside Road).

Following Saturday’s opening, “The Color of Reflections” will then remain on view for another six weeks, according to gallery owner Darryl Ifkovich. The exhibition will include at least 30 paintings, all done within the last 12 months.

“This represents a year’s work for me,” Mr Evans said recently. Ken and his wife Chris have been spending much of their time lately at a home on Cape Cod and plan to move into Guilford within the next few months, but Mr Evans said recently that when he comes back to Newtown, it “still feels like this is home.”

Anyone familiar with the width — of lack thereof — of a section of Route 133 in Bridgewater will appreciate the story behind one of the new paintings. Mr Evans said, “I took my life in my hands” when he ventured into the narrow, winding area of the road in order to take a photograph of a familiar mill. The problem is, the road is so narrow that the artist didn’t have much room to stand safely for too long before automobile traffic became a concern.

The resulting painting, though, is a lovely representation of what Mr Evans calls his “little bit retro” work. In addition to the Bridgewater mill, “The Color of Reflections” offers views of mills in Woodbury and on the Cape.

“Most of what I do is a bit retro in that the wheels are no longer working, but I have painted them in use,” the artist explained.

“Dogwood Time at the Old Millhouse,” of an antique mill in Woodbury, is a perfect example of that presentation. In Mr Evans’ painting the mill is hard at work, even though in reality the mill has not run since at least the Flood of 1955.

In addition to the grist mill paintings, Ken Evans’ new show (his debut at Grey Horse was in February 2000) will also present depictions of windmills, marine scenes and still life images.

“I do this because I enjoy doing it,” the artist said. “I don’t think about volume; it just comes out because of my enjoyment of this process.

“I think you can feel in these paintings,” he continued, “a shift in my disposition as I have become a bit more relaxed, a lot more open, and just enjoying things more. I think it shows in the work.”

One of the larger works in “The Color of Reflections” is an assembly of pieces from a number of sources. For “Making Sail,” Mr Evans painted a Dutch canal boat from a photo he had taken in Warwick, R.I., added a patch of land and some flowers from a black and white photograph he came across, pulled parts of the scene’s background from a drawing of Amsterdam, and culled and adapted the windmill from a drawing he found. In the original drawing, the windmill is facing a different direction than it is presented in Mr Evans’ work. The artist also added sails to the windmill’s arms, another change from the drawing.

Renoir and Monet are obvious influences of Ken Evans, even without the artist spelling it out during an interview. The Impressionistic outlook in his work is a direct result of Mr Evans’ love of the two artists. Mr Evans uses colors and lighting effects he has studied in the works of the masters, especially the appearance of mottled light on water Renoir especially is known for.

“I grew up on the Sound,” Mr Evans explained, “so I tend to gravitate to the water and its reflections. It puts me into a reflective mood.”

Although largely self-taught, Ken Evans did have the opportunity to study under two artists during his lifetime. He spent some time with Christopher Blossom, one of the foremost painters of 19th Century seascapes, as well as time with the Russian landscape artist Kirill Doron.

This portion of his life, the artistic portion, is certainly an ongoing work in progress. The artwork that is produced is “a labor of love,” Mr Evans said. “The time that goes into these is remarkable, but that’s how it is. I really love doing this.”

“The Color of Reflection” opens Saturday, April 28, with a reception from 2 to 6 pm at Grey Horse Gallery, 4 Washington Avenue in Sandy Hook. The show will then remain on view until May 31. Call the gallery at 270-1199 for additional information.