Ken Simmelink

I first became aware that I could sketch animals pretty well when my 4th grade teacher asked if she could frame my pencil drawing of a deer and hang it in her home. And years later while homebound recovering from meningitis it was another woman who encouraged me to try oil painting. In college I took art courses for enjoyment and to boost my grade point average. And finally it was my wife, who just before retirement bought me an easel and paints to get me started on a retirement hobby, which she knew I would be needing.

I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and always had a special affinity for animals. A career in Aviation and missions allowed me to live, work and travel in many areas of the world. Photography was my hobby long before painting replaced it, but the one compliments the other. And both require an artist’s view of the world.

My approach to art is this; our world of nature is beautiful and I probably can’t improve on it. But I can depict its beauty in two dimensions on canvass with paint. I work in watercolor, pastels and oils. My favorite media is oils. My style is photo realism and my favorite subject is still animals.

I have been retired these past twenty years and painting is my favorite use of time and talent.