Today I learned that Ken Auster has died. I don't know why yet, but whatever it was from, he went as a young man. Probably early to mid 60 in age. Young in spirit too. I had the awesome pleasure of meeting him. Lanier and I were is Southern California a couple of years ago for me to attend a Heart Failure seminar. After class each day we would get in our rental car and ride around all over to see the area. I was able to hop out of the car to see art galleries while he would circle a few blocks and come back and pick me up. We did this for hours each day that we were there.
One day while riding around I saw a small sign that said "Auster Studio". I made Lanier stop in the middle of the road and let me out. I had followed Ken on Facebook and loved his painting style. I found his studio and walked in to discover Ken there at his desk working on his computer. He told me to come in and look around and I did. I was mesmerized. He had lots of his "famous paintings" I had been seeing online hanging up and some laying on the floor against walls and stuff. We talked about them and he invited me to go upstairs into his actual studio and look around while he processed an order on his computer. I felt like I was in a sanctuary. His painting area was this large square surface piled with layers and layers of paint separated by wax paper. He had large caulking tubes for paint. His easel had a painting on it. He had started a painting of a street scene. He had a couch full of books and papers and sketches and stuff and covered with paint. There were surf boards in there. Posters on the wall. The place was packed with neat stuff. Ken's personal stuff. And there I was in the middle of all that all by myself and he was just downstairs. No one else was there. I was in Heaven. I looked at his books in the shelf rack on my way out. I felt like I better get out of there, like I had overstayed my welcome and started coming coming down the stairs. He met me at the bottom and we started talking about his work, how he started out with t-shirt designs and what he's doing now. He talked about his wife. He talked a lot and I listened. He told me about online classes he was setting up, and took my name down. I bought his book and he signed it. I bought his DVD Intellect and Passion. He had run out of his other DVD or I would have bought it too. I thought about buying a painting but was too intimidated to ask his price. I wish I had bought one. He told me about The Pageant of The Masters and invited Lanier and I to come. The actual show had sold out, but he said we could go see all the art and artists and that he would be there. We went and it was the best art show I have ever attended. Lanier enjoyed it tremendously. We saw Ken there again and he remembered me and was so kind. He said he would keep in touch about his online class.
As soon as I got home, I watched his DVD. It was incredible!
He taught me so much. "You paint what you know and use what you see as reference!"
You paint like a passion sandwich. First (the bread) you think about what you want to paint, you do your design, establish a focal, solve problems with composition, mix colors, all the intellectual stuff. Once all this is complete you move out of your head and paint with passion from your heart. (Meat of sandwich) Lastly (other slice of bread) you tweek your edges, add highlights, make corrections.
When you think, you are rendering. When you paint, you are not thinking. Thanks for this Ken!
And now he is gone. So sad. So tragic. RIP Ken Auster.
