Ken Whitaker

stone ruins, antique ornament, ancient sculpture

I have always been fascinated with historical ornament, old ruins, and stone textures. I incorporate these elements into my work whenever and however possible
One of my favorite haunts is a local stone, gravel and soil yard . Exploring the endless varieties of stone, I see the veins of color and texture within the shards of the rock to be almost magical in their appearance; I imagine ancient carved figures mysteriously appearing and quietly merging into the natural flow of the stone.
Although I have worked with a wide variety of materials in the past, clay, bronze, and resins, most of my current work is cast in concrete. Concrete looks like stone and is historically  recognized for its lasting strength and durability. You could argue that concrete is a man-made material, but it's essential ingredients come from the natural world. The history of concrete can be traced back to Greeks, Romans, Egyptians Serians, and so on..
After graduating from the California Institute of the Arts in 1992, (Valencia, CA) I worked on my own as a contracted commercial artist for several years.  Check out the Portfolio section of this site to view images of projects I was lucky enough to be involved with.

Ken Whitaker