Arrival of the Buffs – A New Painting by Ken Smith

Vonore, Tennessee, Sept. 12, 2009. The war paint speaks loudly as three Cherokee Warriors sit waiting on the outskirts of Fort Loudoun. They watch the Provincials that have come to provide provisions for the Independent Company of South Carolina, who are garrisoned at the British fort in what would become known today as Vonore, Tennessee. The year is 1759 and this is the subject of the latest Ken Smith historical art print commemorating the 250th anniversary of the life of Fort Loudoun. A limited edition of 250 prints will be available for sale to the public, and the art will be on permanent loan to the Fort Loudoun Association, to be displayed at the Fort Loudoun State Historic Area Visitor Center..

This is the forth painting by Smith in the five-year build-up to the 250th anniversary of the fall of Fort Loudoun. The Fort Loudoun Association commissioned Smith to create historical paintings based on events of each year of the fort’s existence. The first painting was Over the Hills: Sergeant Gibbs and the Advance Party, which depicted the partnership between the Cherokee and the Redcoats in securing a site for the building of the fort. The second painting was Mud and Blood: Carolina Builds a Fort in the Overhills. A grimy crew begin the tiring process of building the structures of the fort and its protective earthworks. The third was Hard Bargain: The Cherokee Prepare for War, which depicts the British leadership of the fort supplying their allies, the Cherokee, with guns to help fight the French.

The current painting’s subject is more terse then the other three before it. In this, there is a definite division between the Cherokee and the British. Hostilities are mounting, in what will culminate with the Cherokee besieging the fort and the eventual massacre of thirty-three members of the garrison at Cane Creek after the British surrendered the fort.

“It’s interesting to depict the declining relationship between the British and their Cherokee allies. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all turns out,” says Smith about his latest painting.

Smit is the recent recipient of the U.S. Coast Guard Art Program’s George Gray Award for Artistic Excellence for his painting Air Station Savannah. In Knoxville, Smith’s Over the Hills from the Fort Loudoun series is prominently featured in the Museum of East Tennessee History’s permanent exhibit.

Arrival of the Buffs was unveiled Saturday, September 12, 2009, during Fort Loudoun’s Annual Colonial Trade Faire and will remain at the park’s Visitor Center after the Trade Faire is concluded. Limited edition prints of Arrival of the Buffs are available for purchase, as well as prints from the previous years.

For more information about Fort Loudoun’s Colonial Trade Fair or to purchase prints, call Angie King at Fort Loudoun State Historic Area (432-884-6217), or visit www.kensmithhistoricalart.com.

Ken Smith Wins Coast Guard Art Program Award

Sort of a late post (but better late than never, they say)

Air Station Savannah, the oil painting pictured in the previous blog post, has won the Coast Guard Art Program’s George Gray Award for Artistic Excellence

Each year the United States Coast Guard recognizes one artist from among that year’s many submissions to the Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) to receive the coveted George Gray Award for Artistic Excellence. This year’s recipient is Radford University professor Ken Smith for his painting, Air Station Savannah, depicting AET2 Taylor Anderson (Avionics Electrical Technician) pausing in her work aboard the HH-65 Dolphin helicopter at Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, near Savannah, Georgia.

Potential Coast Guard artists apply for acceptance into the COGAP program, and if accepted, are then allowed to submit works for possible inclusion in the Coast Guard’s Permanent Art Collection. The 2009 additions to the collection include 34 works by 19 artists. Of these, one work is selected to receive the George Gray Award for Artistic Excellence. Smith’s painting, Air Station Savannah, was granted this honor for 2009. A participant in the Coast Guard Art Program for the past two years, Smith was one of only six artists who were chosen for official Coast Guard Artist deployment in 2008, from which the painting Air Station Savannah was created.

Mary Ann Bader, coordinator of the Coast Guard Art Program says, “This year's collection was among the very best collections we've had, so the competition for the award was very pronounced. [Ken Smith’s] excellent and stunning painting captivated the jurors as well as all present that evening.”

The George Gray Award is named after one of the co-founders of COGAP. Gray was an artist for more than seven decades and served as the chairman of COGAP for over 20 years. The Coast Guard Art Program uses visual arts to communicate the history and the current life of this branch of military service. The collection, which includes over 1,800 works, is shown at galleries, museums, and Coast Guard bases, as well as at other U.S. government locations both at home and abroad. To learn more about the United States Coast Guard Art Program, visit http://www.uscg.mil/community/Art_Program.asp.

Air Station Savannah will be included in a number of works to be displayed this fall at the Pritzker Military Library in downtown Chicago.

Adventures with the Coast Guard

I am involved with the Coast Guard Art Program and here is my latest press release about it.



Press Release

United States Coast Guard Accepts Ken Smith Painting into their Permanent Collection

WHO: Ken Smith, Historical Artist

WHAT: Air Station Savannah, an oil painting by Ken Smith has a new home at the United States Coast Guard Permanent Collection

WHEN: March 2009

WHERE: Coast Guard Art Program

AET 2 Taylor Andersen stands firmly, well grounded in spite of the fact that she is standing on the roof of a blaze orange Coast Guard helicopter. She looks directly at you with an unwavering gaze – strong, confident, and empowered in her homeland security duties – and captured forever in this moment by the vision and brushstrokes of artist and illustrator, Ken Smith.

Smith, who has been a participant in the Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) for the past two years, chose to depict the service of female Coast Guard members in this year’s painting. Smith was one of only six COGAP artists who were chosen for official Coast Guard Artist deployment in 2008 – each being tasked to travel to various USCG bases to research their subject matter. It was this assignment that took him to St, Mary’s, Georgia and on to Air Station Savannah during the summer of 2008.

“The Coast Guard can be one of the most dangerous branches of all the Services, not only dealing with homeland security tasks, but often also at odds with weather and sea. I am privileged to be able to add my voice to the throng of Americans who appreciate their dedication and commitment. ” Smith says about being a part of COGAP.

Chosen by the Excellence Committee of the Salmagundi Club, a New York City artistic and cultural center for over 130 years, Ken Smith’s painting, Air Station Savannah, is now part of the United States Coast Guard Permanent Collection. Smith will be honored with a commendation at a formal acceptance ceremony at the Salmagundi Club in New York this summer.

The Coast Guard Art Program uses visual arts to communicate the history and the current life of this branch of military service. The collection, which includes over 1,800 works, is shown at galleries, museums, and Coast Guard bases, as well as at other U.S. government locations both at home and abroad. To learn more about the United States Coast Guard Art Program, visit http://www.uscg.mil/community/Art_Program.asp.

Smith currently is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Radford University in Radford, VA. He holds a BFA from the University of Tennessee, an MA from Syracuse University and a MFA from the University of Hartford. He is also available for commissions and portraits. To see more of Smith’s work, visit www.kensmithhistoricalart.com.

The 2009 Radford University Addy Award Winners

Congratulations to all those Radford University students who participated in the 2009 South Western Virgina Addy Awards, sponsored by the The Advertising Federation of the Roanoke Valley.

Pictured above are award winners (from left to right) Benjamin Rush (two gold, one silver), Zachary Bush (four gold, one silver), Nathan Long (silver), Chelsea Alayna Clark (one gold, two silver).

Hard Bargain

I've just released the third in the series of the Fort Loudoun Anniversary prints. Full press release below.

Hard Bargain: The Cherokee Prepare for War – A New Painting by Ken Smith

WHO: Ken Smith, Historical Artist

WHAT: Hard Bargain: The Cherokee Prepare for War, 1758, Painting to be Unveiled at Colonial Trade Fair

WHEN: September 6, 2008

WHERE: Fort Loudoun State Historic Area and www.kensmithhistoricalart.com

Vonore, Tennessee. Carefully inspecting the English gifts, Sower Hominey, the Great Conjurer of Chotee [sic], a chief of the Overhill Cherokee, weighs the pros and cons of helping the British in their war against the French. Ensign Bogges of the Independent Company of South Carolina watches for signs of acceptance, while trader Samuel Benn contemplates this depletion of his assets. British regular and Cherokee warriors stand as mute witness to this scene of war-making in March of 1758. These are the figures portrayed in Ken Smith’s latest historical painting commemorating the 250th anniversary of the life of Fort Loudoun. A limited edition of 250 prints will be available for sale to the public, and the art will be on permanent loan to the Fort Loudoun Association, to be displayed at the Fort Loudoun State Historic Area Visitor Center..

This is the third painting by Smith in the five-year build-up to the 250th anniversary of the fall of Fort Loudoun. The Fort Loudoun Association commissioned Smith to create historical paintings based on events of each year of the fort’s existence. The first painting was Over the Hills: Sergeant Gibbs and the Advance Party, which depicted the partnership between the Cherokee and the Redcoats in securing a site for the building of the fort. The second painting was Mud and Blood: Carolina Builds a Fort in the Overhills. A grimy crew began the tiring process of building the structures of the fort and its protective earthworks.

The third painting, though still showing the camaraderie between the Cherokee and British, beings to foreshadow the darker history of the fort. An ominous cloud looms above the gathering and there is a subtle divide between the sides - the Cherokee to one side and the British to the other. A dissension between the factions will continue to present itself in next year’s artwork, and will culminate dramatically in the fifth and final painting of the series, the massacre at Cane Creek.

“A Hard Bargain shows the ambivalent attitude between the Cherokee and the British. The Cherokee warrior is surely driving a hard bargain, but he’s also dealing with the inevitable results of the Cherokee people’s growing dependence on the English trade goods,” the artist says about his latest painting.

Smith’s painting, Over the Hills, may also look familiar to those who have not yet visited historic Fort Loudoun, as it is prominently featured in the new Museum of East Tennessee History’s permanent exhibit. Also included in the exhibit is another Ken Smith painting of the Fort Loudoun, which is not included in the fort's commemoration series.

Hard Bargain was unveiled Saturday, September 6, 2008, during Fort Loudoun’s Annual Colonial Trade Faire and will remain at the park’s Visitor Center after the Trade Faire is concluded. Limited edition prints of Hard Bargain are also available for purchase at this time, as well as prints from the previous years.

For more information about Fort Loudoun’s Colonial Trade Fair or to purchase prints, call Angie King at Fort Loudoun State Historic Area (432-884-6217), or to see more of Smith’s work, visit www.kensmithhistoricalart.com.

N*tranced to Host An Artist Reception for Ken Smith’s Newest Art Series - The Victorian Actress

WHO: N*tranced Hypnosis and Guided Meditation and Ken Smith, Historical Artist

WHAT: N*tranced to Host An Artist Reception for Ken Smith’s Newest Art Series - The Victorian Actress

WHEN: August 29, 2008 from 5 pm to 9 pm

WHERE: N*tranced Hypnosis and Guided Meditation

Maryville, Tennessee. Stepping into the office of hypnotist L.S. King, one sees a space that is comfortable, non-sterile, and artistic. On one wall, a dark haired Sarah Bernhardt laments her passions as Lady MacBeth, as does a reposed Helena Modjeska as Marguerite Gautier from Camille. Lillie Langtry lounges mischievously as Rosalind from As You Like It, while Maud Adams has all the confidence of Peter Pan. Ellen Terry’s Ophelia majestically deals with her Hamlet madness. Mary Anderson chooses to go back on her pedestal as Galatea from Pygmalion and Galatea. These six actresses, as painted by historical artist Ken Smith, have found temporary domicile at N*tranced where they await their adoring public.

On Friday, August 29, 2008, from 5 pm to 9 pm, the public is invited to the unveiling and public showing of this latest series by Ken Smith. The original oil paintings will be displayed and limited edition giclee prints will be available for purchase.

“We are very excited to be able to host this reception for Ken Smith and his new series of paintings. Though N*tranced is a business office, we strive to create a true gallery experience in Maryville, and Mr. Smith’s work is a fine example of the talent located in the heart of East Tennessee,” says L.S. King, owner of N*tranced.

Smith, whose art work for the Fort Loudoun State Historic Area was recently featured in Tennessee Conservationist magazine, is a good fit for the hypnotic space. When beginning the Fort Loudoun project, Smith used hypnosis (from N*tranced) to help visualize the first painting in that series (which can be seen at the park visitor center in a gallery area dedicated to his original artwork). Ms. King wished to honor the creative process by premiering this new series of Victorian Actresses at her office in Maryville.

N*tranced Hypnosis and Guided Meditation is located at 305 College Street in downtown Maryville, Tennessee. For more information or directions, please contact L.S. King at 865-406-1135 or visit www.n-tranced.com. To learn more about the art work of Ken Smith, visit www.kensmithhistoricalart.com.

Fort Loudoun Paintings Featured in Magazine

WHO: Ken Smith, Historical Artist

WHAT: Tennessee Conservationist Includes an Article About Historical Artist Ken Smith and His Fort Loudoun Painting Commission

WHEN: July 2008

WHERE: Tennessee Conservationist Magazine

When flipping through the pages of this month’s Tennessee Conservationist, one cannot help but notice an article about historical artist Ken Smith and his Fort Loudoun Painting series. Looking at the two completed oil paintings, one is taken back in time to the beginnings of the British occupation of the fort site in what is now Vonore, Tennessee. Maybe it is the regal Cherokee chief in “Over the Hills” or the desperation seen in the faces of the provincial solider in ”Mud & Blood” that allows one to forget about the modern chaos of society. However, there is more to preserving these moments artistically than putting oil on canvas; planning, coordinating, composing, researching the details, and an amount of sweat that one might leave one astonished.

This month’s issue of the Tennessee Conservationist magazine chronicles the process that Smith uses to create his oil paintings. In the article “Oil and Sweat: An Artist’s Perspective of the History of Ft. Loudoun,”, Smith provides a behind-the-scenes look at these paintings commissioned by the Fort Loudoun Association for the park’s 250th anniversary of its founding. This is a five-year project, with each year adding a new depiction of the time when Red Coats and Cherokees roamed East Tennessee. The article discusses the very human aspects of Smith's work including his models and their experience in the artistic process.

“I always find it interesting to see the behind-the-scenes activity that goes into a piece of visual art, and I’m happy that Tennessee Conservationist readers will have a chance to see a little of the artistic process of the Fort Loudoun series” Smith says about the article.

Tennessee Conservationist is published bi-monthly by the State of Tennessee’s Department of Environment and Conservation. For information about the magazine, visit http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/tn_consv/.

For more information about Fort Loudoun (and to buy your own limited edition print of these paintings) go to www.fortloudoun.com.

Smith is the Creative Director for Media South, a creative services company in Knoxville, Tennessee. He holds a BFA from the University of Tennessee, an MA from Syracuse University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Hartford. He is also available for commissions and portraits. To see more of Smith’s work, visit www.kensmithhistoricalart.com.