About the Artist
Ken Corbett, a native of Salt Lake, has had a passion for art since his youth. His greatest ability has been in portraiture but he also enjoys landscape and wildlife. He paints realistic, representational art. His strengths are painting with color (not just tones) and creating the right play of light for the art to come alive. He work is part of multiple museum collections.
From Ken: “There have been numerous artists that have influenced my art over the last 15-20 years. Some have been teachers at school or from seminars that I have attended. Others have been artists from all different subject matter over the whole history of painting that I have admired or tired to emulate in one way or another, from Hans Holbein to Nancy Glazier. I love to study art of all kinds but classical realism from the mid 1800’s to the early 1900’s was to me, probably the greatest art produced. This is the art that I hope to be able to emulate. I believe that artists like William Bougeuroeau or Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and many other lesser-known artists from that period were the greatest of all time. I have not attended a regular art school but through my personal study of art I have learned how to paint and compose a picture. Drawing has been easy for me. Composition and technique, as well as color, have been something that I have had to learn by studying the masters.
My interest in art subjects has varied from portraiture to wildlife, and from spiritual to equine art. I feel that I have had success in all these areas. There is something exciting and wonderful about making an idea come to life through colors and shapes. It seems that if I am not working on a painting that I’m a little lost or depressed. But when there is an idea I am working on, it occupies all of my thoughts. After a day of painting, I am exhausted even though there is no manual labor involved.
My wife and 7 kids are a great inspiration to me. They model for me, they encourage me to do my best and allow me to follow my life’s dream. I will not be able to reach my potential without them.
Since the beginning of 1998 I have been able to paint and support my family full-time. Before this I served Salt Lake City as a firefighter for almost 11 years. When I left the fire department and could paint and draw full-time, it felt like I had completed a long internship. There is no diploma on the wall though, just a love of art and a burning inside to be the best artist that God will allow me to be.
My art is privileged to be part of many public and private collections. For the last 16 years I have concentrated on portraiture and have been able to paint great people and improve my abilities at the same time. I have painted well over 200 portraits. Painting from life and the discipline of portraiture has been invaluable to me in improving my drawing and painting skills.”
One of Ken’s Favorite websites is the Art Renewal Center