Ken Knight is an Australian plein air painter who paints with superb economy, rich color and a beautifully textural surface, for which the word “painterly” seems inadequate.
Though it’s difficult to see in small reproductions, in larger images, his brush marks flow, scrape, jitter and dash across the surface — defining forms, carving out depth and deftly leading your eye through his often sweeping compositions. I assume he’s also using painting knives here, though to what extent I don’t know.
Knight balances colors that are vibrant but controlled with dramatic value relationships to create a sense of the light and space of the open Australian landscape.
On his website, and the sites of some of the galleries in which he is represented, you will also find his paintings of Venice and other locations from his travels.
There is a video on YouTube with a glimpse of one of his painting trips to Pilbara, in Western Australia; the camera is a bit shaky, but it’s interesting to see him painting on location at large scale and in windy conditions. There is also a time lapse slideshow of his progress on a “South Coast Seascape” (dunes, images above, middle).
[Suggestion courtesy of Kan Muftic]
