One of Britain's best loved artists
Ken Howard paints in a more “traditional" manner and his work is based on strong observation and a high degree of draughtsmanship, combined with tonal precision. His depiction of light is a strong and recurrent element of his work. Notable themes include nude models in his studio and city scenes, such as Venice, with emphasis placed on the reflection of light from puddles after rain.
Ken shares his time at his studios in London, Venice and Cornwall and generally paints Monday to Saturday, with a model often coming in each morning. He says that painting is very seldom an easy thing to do. “At the start of the day you are full of belief in the thing you are going to do. If you've had a really bad day, the last thing you want to do is get up and work, but if you've got a model knocking on the door at ten to seven, you've got to get up, and you've got to start work again. As soon as you've got a brush in your hand... after about ten minutes you've got belief again and you think, yes, it may not have worked yesterday but it’s going to work today. Drawing is the basis of everything. All the way through the painting you must be questioning the drawing, right up to the very end. Otherwise you get the drawing right and fill it in with colour. As long as you get the effect you want, that's the important thing. You can use a piece of rag, a sable brush, a hog hair brush or a knife - it doesn’t matter what. Paint what you see, not what you know. What you know is not surprising and is very seldom true.”
Howard's first solo show was held at the Plymouth Art Centre in 1955. Subsequent exhibitions were held in 1966 and 1968 at the John Whibley Gallery. He then went on to exhibit extensively, both nationally and internationally, particularly with the New Grafton Gallery from the early 1970s. He was given a retrospective in 1972 at the Plymouth City Art Gallery and in 1973 and 1979 was appointed by the Imperial War Museum as official artist in Northern Ireland. He also worked with the British Army in Germany, Cyprus, Oman, Hong Kong, Nepal, Norway, Canada, Belize and Brunei from 1973 to 1982. In 1991 Ken Howard was elected a Royal Academician (RA).
Recent Solo Exhibitions
2019 Portland Gallery, London
2018 Portland Gallery, London
2017 Richard Green, London
2016 Richard Green, London
2015 Richard Green, London
2013 Richard Green, London
2011 Richard Green, London
2009 Richard Green, London
2007 Richard Green, London
2006 Martin’s Gallery, Cheltenham
2005 Bankside Gallery, London
2002-06 Richard Green, London
2002-06 Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town
2000 Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town
Recent Group Exhibitions
2019 Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition
2018 Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition
2017 Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition
2017 New English Art Club Annual Exhibition
2016 Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition
2016 New English Art Club Annual Open Exhibition
2016 Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition
2015 Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition
2015 New English Art Club Annual Open Exhibition
2015 Royal Society of British Artists Annual Exhibition
2014 Royal Institute of Oil Painters Annual Exhibition
2014 New English Art Club Annual Open Exhibition
Selected Public Collections
Guildhall Art Gallery
Hove Museum and Art Gallery
Imperial War Museum
National Army Museum
Plymouth City Art Centre
Royal Academy of Arts, London
Sheffield Art Gallery
Southern Museum and Art Gallery
The National Army Museum, London
Ulster Museum
