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By Shannon Hicks

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By Shannon Hicks

Like a number of artists who are coming into prominence today, Ken Evans is a primarily self-taught painter. Mr Evans has been painting all of his life but says it wasn’t until nearly 15 years ago that he began taking his hobby seriously.

During the first weekend in March, area art lovers will be able to enjoy a collection of Mr Evans’ work when Grey Horse Gallery in Sandy Hook launches a new exhibition featuring the work of the Sandy Hook resident. A number of Mr Evans’ works are already on view at Washington Avenue art gallery and framing shop, and the artist will be adding more for the exhibition until the day of the show, but a formal opening reception is planned for Saturday, March 4, from 2 to 7 pm, to which the public is invited.

The artist expects to have nearly 20 works on view for the show. Because he has a large inventory, as pieces sell they will be replaced by new works, so the show at Grey Horse will not only be ongoing, but changing.

Today Mr Evans is an attorney. He first attended engineering school, but then went to law school. Mr Evans began his law career during the mid-70s, and continues to practice in Bethel. While engineering school did not lead to his vocation, it did provide useful applications for the part-time artist.

“Engineering school helped quite a bit with mechanical drawing,” Mr Evans said recently. Last Friday he was able to visit Grey Horse Gallery for another look at what is already on view and talk about his upcoming show. “It helped me present a true perspective and space in a given scene.”

Although largely self-taught, Mr Evans has had the opportunity to study under two very talented artists during his lifetime. First he spent some time with one of the foremost painters of 19th Century seascapes, Christopher Blossom. He also studied a bit with the Russian landscape artist Kirill Doron.

As a youngster, Ken Evans primarily created seascapes. His artwork now tends to include not only seascapes but also landscapes and still lifes. One of the images he is featuring in his Grey Horse show is a larger-scale work called “Synthesis.” The work depicts the footbridge in Sandy Hook Center that runs from behind the old post office building to the parking lot at the bottom of Church Hill Road. The scene was painted from the level of Pootatuck River, which runs through Sandy Hook Center and immediately below the footbridge.

“I haven’t really seen anyone bothering to paint that bridge, but I really fell in love with it,” Mr Evans explained. “Newtown Forest Association has made a nice space down in that area, called The Glen, and I wanted to capture part of its beauty.”

His thinking in creating something that he loves, and hoping viewers will also appreciate it, is something that constantly drives Ken Evans in what he decides to paint.

“I tend to paint what I like, not necessarily what I think others will like,” he said. His biggest inspiration, he says, comes not from the works of others before him but from being in nature, out along the shore, anywhere outdoors.

The idea of working on images he prefers was what was behind the work he calls “Necessities,” an oil showing his wife Chris’ violin, an apple, a lit candle and a blue bottle. The painting was done in a style reminiscent of 19th Century painters, which is not coincidental.

“I just like this kind of style,” the artist said. He continues to favor seascapes that present views of 19th Century sailing ships, and says it is the “classical methods” — including underpainting, which sometimes adds an element of light to paintings — that has always attracted him to artworks. Mr Evans does not work in one particular style of painting, but tends to incorporate a number of older styles into his works.

“Realism, Impressionism, Luminism… all the -isms, they’re all in there,” he laughed.

Grey Horse Gallery owner Darryl Ifkovic was immediately captivated by Mr Evans’ works when she first saw them. It was the artist’s variety of styles that attracted the gallery owner.

“I think Ken’s painting is very professional, and he’s just amazing in the sense that he has very different types of artwork,” Ms Ifkovic said this week. “Each painting that he does is very different.” Ms Ifkovic pointed out two of Mr Evans’ works as perfect examples of what she was talking about. The aforementioned “Necessities” is done in a very classical style, as opposed to a still life of flowers in a vase with a Chinese scroll in the background. The scroll has Chinese lettering on it, which Mr Evans can read and write.

“His work varies so much, it’s amazing,” she said. “Not a lot of artists are capable of presenting such a variety of views and styles. He’s really very talented.

“What’s also amazing is that he is also a full-time attorney, yet he’s done such a large number of paintings. And he’s very happy with his art, which is the nicest thing to see,” continued Ms Ifkovic.

Not only does Ken Evans make time for his ongoing love of creating paintings, but he has also begun to write about them. Most of his paintings are now accompanied by original poetry by the artist.

 One still life, depicting oranges and grapes, simply enthralled the gallery owner. “I’m in love with it. It’s got that high-gloss shine to it, and he’s adding another layer of the gloss to it before it gets hung for the show,” Ms Ifkovic said. “If I were to choose one artwork to hang in my own home, that would be it.”

The poetry aspect of Mr Evans’ work has been encouraged lately by his participation with Bethel Arts Junction, a fairly new artists’ collective headquartered in the old railroad station on Greenwood Avenue in Bethel. The group presents regularly-changing art exhibits by area artists. On Wednesday evenings, Newtown resident Faith Vicinanza — popularly known among her peers as the Connecticut Poet — runs a weekly poetry reading series.

This past winter, Mr Evans was able to present a number of his oils in some of the BAJ group shows. He has also enjoyed participating in the poetry series, which features a guest writer each week generally followed by an open mic session.

“That’s an immensely enjoyable set-up,” Mr Evans said. “It’s a great thing [Mrs Vicinanza] is doing, and I enjoy it a lot.”

Poetry booklets will be available at Grey Horse Gallery. The books will contain a number of Mr Evans’ writings, coupled with representations of his original oils. On March 4, during the opening reception, he plans to do a pair of readings. The readings will be presented at 2 and 6 pm.

“I think it’s nice to see an artist who really enjoys what he does, who still has enough emotion to write a poem about his works,” Darryl Ifkovic said this week. The poems, Mr Evans explained, try to capture the mood of the work or his own emotions either while he was working on a specific piece or his reaction to the finished product.

“I enjoy creating art,” Ken Evans said. “I don’t think, any longer, if I can help it, who I am painting like. I just try to put things together as I see them. I like to see people enjoy my works, which in turn makes me happy.”

Grey Horse Gallery is at 3 Washington Avenue (Route 34) in Sandy Hook, behind St Paul’s Episcopal Church. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm. The gallery can be reached by calling 270-1199.

The exhibition featuring the work of Ken Evans will open Saturday, March 4. A reception will be ongoing at the gallery from 2 to 7 pm, and Mr Evans will be doing readings of his poetry at 2 and 7 pm.

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