Artist: Kenneth Vincent
Norton Framing & Gallery welcomes the artwork of Kenneth Vincent
artist statement
I come from a long line of fisherman and farmers who found their homes here on Martha’s Vineyard. My family spans hundreds of years living and working on this island and I was raised on my family farm in West Tisbury. Coming from a long line of farmers and fisherman, it is unusual that I have become a professional artist. However, working so closely with the land and the sea, I have gained a different perspective of life on Martha’s Vineyard. With the island as the backdrop to my youth, it is easy to be inspired by the landscape of which you are a part. There is more than just the aesthetic of MV to appreciate– there is an ancestry to appreciate as well. When I paint, I see all these things left in the landscape; the barns, the trees, the fields, the water. And all these places share history, not only with my family and I over many generations, but with others as well who share their own history of a place. To me, every landscape of Martha’s Vineyard has a memory to it, and this is what shapes much of the subject matter that I paint. The memory left in the landscape is what inspires me to paint it.
After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Vincent returned to Martha’s Vineyard and worked for the MV Times, illustrating favorite local places off the beaten track for “The Walks” column. This began his journey of rediscovering the many forgotten places the island has to offer. These overlooked places are the subjects he found most interesting and inspiring– and have become the foundation of his current body of work.
Ken lives on the Vineyard year round with his wife, Cathleen, and their son, Broden, who was born in 2007. He works full time as a painter as well as an illustrator for children’s books.
“Little Field Sunset”
“Lucy Vincent Overlook”
“Homeward Bound”
“Lunch Break”
“Allen Farm Sheep”