Featured Artist: Kent Ambler!

*Summer Solstice* by Kent Ambler 24″ x 24″ Woodcut/Edition of 30

Kent Ambler, he is over the top fabulous. We first saw his work at a place we were staying (more on that below) and it took my breath away. I whipped out my phone and took a photo and a close up of the signature so I could be in touch with this artist. His colors are fabulous, his subject matter is cool and different. The process is impressive. I love the dark against this orangey sky. Love it!

Have you seen woodcuts before? It’s so incredible. Wondering about the process? Wonder no more, Kent has a fabulous (short) YouTube video that shows the process – it’s impressive to say the least. Watch magic happen HERE.

Image taken at The Swag | Waynesville, NC

We saw Kent’s work at The Swag in Waynesville, NC. It was spectacular in the setting it was in. So special. I’ve found a lot of cool artists that I’ve featured from paintings I’ve seen, they have an eye for art most definitely!

Take a peek at Kent’s work, I think you’ll be wowed as much as we were!

ARTIST’S INFO

WEBSITE | Instagram

About the Artist (via Kent’s website):

About me…

My earliest memories are of me drawing. There was never a question as to what I would do with my life.

I attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. There I was introduced to printmaking and discovered that I had an innate “feel” for the process of making woodcuts. In 1992, I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting.

I spent six years in New Mexico before settling in South Carolina in 2000. I live on twelve acres on Paris Mountain in Greenville, SC. I have a print studio on my property where I spend my days making woodcuts and painting.

About the work…

While the imagery in my art is generally subject or object oriented, the visual appearance of each piece is of most importance to me. I work from an aesthetic and intuitive approach rather than a conceptual one. Some of my work is autobiographical while some is simply based on things that interest me, such as birds. My work is derived from my life and surroundings: my observations.

My surroundings offer endless subject matter; my three dogs, two cats, my wife Peggy, the lake, the woods, birds, flowering trees, neighbors goats, the list goes on and on. My work usually starts with an observation or a quick sketch. The images that I sketch then become a leaping point for the exploration of aesthetic qualities. Mark making is the main focus in my woodcut prints, while surface and paint application are the main focus in my paintings.

In the past I painted more directly from life but now find myself working from a combination of observation, memory, and intuition.

Subjects, themes, and even concepts do materialize in my work through the passage of time. I generally can’t tell you what it is that I am working on until viewing a series of work in retrospect. With the help of hindsight it becomes very obvious what was going on in my life at that given time.

I try not to over think or over plan my work. I generally do my best work when my brain is “turned off” so to speak. I am inspired by the simplicity of idea and image addressed by genuine folk artists.

I am thrilled to have run across Kent’s work – check it out!