Ken Van Rees
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  • Soil & Charcoal Art
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    • Haida Gwaii 2019
    • Germany 2018
    • Algonquin 2017 >
      • Algonquin 2017 videos
    • Building Studio
    • Lac La Ronge 2016
    • PANP 2016
    • Ellesmere Island July 2013 >
      • Ellesmere Island Videos >
        • Twin Glacier Video
        • Painting Alexandra Fiord video
        • Polar bear video
        • Changing Tide video
    • Algonquin Provincial Park Oct 2012
    • Ivvavik National Park June 2011
    • Other Trips >
      • Lake O'Hara Jerry Markham workshop
      • PANP
      • Cypress Hills
  • Regina Show April 2023
  • Virtual Water Gallery
    • Previous Shows >
      • Saskatoon Fall Show 2020
      • Saskatoon Club Show
      • Edge of the World Show
      • Ancient Pathways Show
      • Regina Show 2019
      • Saskatoon Show 2018
      • Germany Show May 2018
      • Regina Show 2018
      • Saskatoon 2017
      • Regina 2017
      • Regina 2016
      • Soil Art Exhibition 2015
      • Saskatoon 2015
      • FML Algonquin Show 2015
      • Soil and Art Exhibition Long Beach CA 2014
      • Saskatoon Show 2014
      • Rosthern Show 2014
      • Regina Show April 2014
      • La Ronge Show 2014
      • Saskatoon Show 2013
      • Black Spruce Gallery Show August 2013
      • Hague Gallery Regina Show April 2013
  • MWP
  • ELKC
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Biography

Ken is a native of Ontario and just retired from the Soil Science Dept at the University of Saskatchewan. He has spent his research career in northern Saskatchewan investigating forestry impacts on soils and trees; however, it wasn't until he started incorporating art into his field courses in 2004 at Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus that he started to experiment with painting and truly began to appreciate another side of these ecosystems through their rich range of colors, textures and shapes. 

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Artist Statement

I have spent the last 30 years of my life conducting research into understanding the relationships between soils and vegetation and how they interact on different landscapes, particularly boreal forest landscapes. I have always been drawn to trees, water and rocks since I was a kid in Ontario and it is in these landscapes that I feel most at home. Art, however, was not a part of my life and it wasn’t until I was challenged to incorporate art into my science field courses a few years ago at the Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus that the passion was ignited for painting landscapes. I enjoy looking at the various landscapes and trying to understand the processes that made them what they are today, but the greatest excitement is trying to capture them on canvas whether it is during the morning sunrise or standing in the silence as the snowflakes flutter around you. I like to use bright colors and complete my paintings “en plein air”, but the challenge of being outdoors, in rugged environments and in all kinds of weather adds to the story behind the painting. Nothing beats however the camaraderie of painting with the Men Who Paint who continue to encourage me in my painting journey.  I hope my paintings present a different perspective of our landscapes, one where the natural sciences and art might intersect reflecting the colors, shapes and textures of our northern landscapes.

The story of my journey into art can be found here or a YouTube video of my talk on creativity and innovation in combining soil and art can be found here.

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