“I don’t do pretties," Ken Roberts, Golden Library's visiting artist during the second half of the summer, begins the conversation about his craft. There's a playful chuckle in his voices as he adds, "I do things that pull you in and make you think.”
Ken started creating his unique historic assemblages nearly a year ago after visiting the Golden Art Show. He stumbled upon a booth with similar three-dimensional collages.
“You had to stay there. It caused you to think. It was powerful! It pulled me in,” he recalls.
Ultimately, Ken hopes his pieces will have the same effect on visitors. He builds each of his projects by layering original or replicated historical objects, all from 1890 - 1960. He intends these “miniature time museums” to inspire historical interest and research into our country’s past.
“I hope [the audience] will be pulled back in time the way I was,” Ken says.
Ken has been an artist his entire life. He recalls making crayon and paper drawings as a child growing up in Long Island, and then finding inspiration in the mountains of Colorado when his family moved here in 1961.
“I can’t imagine living in a place without mountains, now,” Ken, currently a Lakewood resident, remarks. “It’s just so beautiful.”
Ken’s interest in art deepened, as he explored more media, from landscape paintings and Native American beadwork to transcribing his dreams in various forms. In his youth, Ken even considered pursuing art full time, but learned he “liked to eat good food…consistently.” He traded in the paintbrush for the (slightly) more stable elementary school classroom, where he remained for 38 years.
“It was what I was destined to do,” Ken says of the experience. “I started each day asking my students the question, ‘Are you ready for a day of fun and excitement?’.”
Ken spent his summers teaching at and visiting Native American reservations. He fell in love with these cultures and incorporated his experiences into his teaching and artwork. With his students, he created paint by grinding rocks and mixing colors. In his spare time, he performed traveling shows and dances to educate the wider population about “the rich heritage of all our country.”
Now retired, Ken puts this enthusiasm for life toward volunteering at the local food bank and working with individuals experiencing homelessness. He finds his retirement very rewarding. He travels, plays pickle ball, and stays in shape “running away from trouble.” And of course, ever the artist, he creates.
“Have a passion! Whatever you have a passion for, you are going to put your energy into,” Ken advises all young people, but particularly aspiring artists. “Find your vision. Find your goal.”
Explore Ken’s passion for history and fall through time at the Golden Library, Sunday, July 15 – Sunday, Sept. 9, from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. each day.
