I’ll eventually meet Ken face-to-face, but for the present I only know about him through his wife Debbie. Ken has been banging , twisting, punching, and in other ways transforming silver and other metals into jewelry for over twenty-five years. He’s got plenty of experience in his art, and from what his wife tells me, he’s a pretty nice fellow.
KEN WILSON
After the cutting, the pieces are tooled by hand with chisels, stamps, and chasing tools, one mark at a time. No mass production methods or casting is involved.
Art is most meaningful when it flows from minds and hands without inhibition, and I try to work with the free hand of a folk artist.
As a kid I always liked to make things, whether it was a scooter from an old skate and some boards, a hide-out in a vacant lot, or a ring from an old spoon that I was pretty sure my mother wouldn't miss. My dad taught me how to work with tools and build kites, wooden whistles, and tree houses. Both my mother and father taught me to value craftsmanship and art, and to keep my eyes open while traveling.
I like folk art of all types, and I am drawn to decorative and functional things that people create with their own hands. The Impressionist painters let the brush strokes show, and that makes sense to me. I make jewelry with simple handmade tools and simple techniques, and I hope the handwork of cutting, sawing, tooling, and assembling are evident to the viewer.
Debbie and I live in the Texas Hill Country where we have a creek, a view, a few big trees, and some trails that the grandsons and I have built. We travel too often to keep pets, but we do have a fox that we see often and plenty of deer, armadillos, rabbits, and birds. Deb and I share our work space studio, which is about a hundred yards from our cabin.
I was born in Brownsville, Texas, where my father was flying DC-3s for Pan American Airways. My mother had a "Rosie-the-Riveter" job, installing bomb-sights in B-17s. They met at the Pan Am electrical shop where she worked. References to flying and wings often show up in my work -- and in my dreams. In addition to Mom and Dad being heroes of mine, my great-uncle Grey Burleson, “Texas Grey,” was also. He was a Wyoming cowboy who set a good example of how to lead one’s life. “Texas Grey” is the name I sell under on eBay.
When not working, Debbie and I enjoy traveling, long talks with friends over dinner, and keeping in touch by email. Days spent with the children and grandchildren are on the top of our list. I do some kayaking with old buddies and try to work in a few river trips every year. I hope we can teach the grandchildren a few tricks that will come in handy as they take up the trip down their own rivers.
http://www.ken-wilson.com/home.html
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After more than twenty-five years of doing art shows (I could tell you some stories) I have decided to take a break from shows. I am continuing to work on new pieces and to fill custom orders; if you would like to order something from my website, or replacements for some of my earlier works, please contact me at kenwilson@hillcountrytx.net .
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