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Happy New Year 2021

Happy New Year! When I work in clay, i sign the bottom of each pot with my name, location and year created. For my FINAL pot of 2020, I made a plate to celebrate the little village where i live, OLD WASHINGTON. If I HAD to be stuck in one place for the year 2020, I’m grateful it was here!

porcelain plate with sgraffito design of Old Washington, Kentucky. Log Cabin, Federal Brick buildind and white church house.

When I was young, i was led to believe that an artist has to live in a big metro area to ‘make it’.

Now that i’m older and have more experience in the world, I know that a small town is a great place to an artist! I’m so grateful to have been welcomed and a part of this small rural town.

This pot is a work in progress. It still needs to go through the kiln.

Happy New Year!

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Carved Porcelain Plates for a new year!

Happy New Year!
When I work in clay, i sign the bottom of each pot with my name, location and year created.
For my FINAL pot of 2020, I made a plate to celebrate the little village where i live, OLD WASHINGTON. If I HAD to be stuck in one place for the year 2020, I’m grateful it was here!
When I was young, i was led to believe that an artist has to live in a big metro area to ‘make it’.
Now that i’m older and have more experience in the world, I know that a small town is a great place to an artist! I’m so grateful to have been welcomed and a part of this small rural town.
This pot is a work in progress. It still needs to go through the kiln.
Happy New Year!
I thought this ancient Persian saying was a good thought to wrap up the year 2020. Let’s hope 2021 is easier on us.
Work in progress: unfired porcelain. Blue will be darker and clay much whiter (and translucent) after firing (if it doesn’t crumble into rubble in the kiln–which can happen with clay art…especially porcelain)
Happy new year everyone!!!
I probably shouldn’t share work in progress photos for porcelain work, because there’s a chance they won’t make it through the kiln firing…but I’m so excited about this pair of dove plates…I can’t resist showing them off!
Last night, I shared the work in progress for a porcelain plate/tray in my “stories”. I didn’t have enough time to finish the carving until today. It still needs to dry and go through the kiln twice, but the creative work is all done.
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Have Art, Will Travel

HAVE ART, WILL TRAVEL!we artists have had to get more creative than ever to get through these times. Im trying something new, a mobile, outdoor, social distance print gallery. I can’t be too careful. yesterday, mason county had the highest new infection rate per 100,000 in all of kentucky!!! I probably shouldn’t even be doing this, but the people need art!If this doesn’t work with art, I might try the same with “cheap” rolex watches! Lol!

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Thanksgiving Pottery Teaser

Hope Everyone is having a happy and healthy this Thanksgiving holiday. The pandemic is going strong here in Kentucky, so things are a lot different from normal.

I have some new porcelain pottery that I can’t wait to show off (and sell) to you all. I believe that pottery should be experienced in person. You need to pick it up to TRULY know whether or not it is the right pot for you. I’m going to wait until things are a little safer before i invite you to visit my front porch, but you can follow THIS LINK for a sneak peek at the latest pottery:

Pottery / Pottery 11/25/2020 | Ken Swinson

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Exploring the 25 mile radius from my house

exterior of the poston school house museum in fleming county kentucky

I’ve lived in this area longer than anywhere else in my life, and I’m still surprised at how much I DON’T know about the world directly around me. I love maps and travel, and recently calculated the 25 mile (driving) radius from my house.

google map of 25 mile radius from my house

I know a lot of the people and places in this circle, but there is still a LOT I don’t know. I have decided to start fixing that!

I started at the bottom east corner, just a little east from wallingford at the top of park lake mountain. There I discovered a treasure you won’t see on google maps.

photo of the Poston School Museum in Flemming County Kentucky

The Poston School House Museum!
It’s a historic schoolhouse from the 1800s, lovingly restored into a little museum.

interior of the poston schoolhouse museum in fleming county kentucky

I am a lifetime learner, and am forever grateful to the public schools and teachers who shaped my mind.

sketches of the poston school museum in fleming county kentucky
Some of my quick pen and ink sketches of the schoolhouse

Moving forward, I’m going to try to stay in my little 25 mile radius; to travel, explore and get to better know the place where I live–through ART!

outhouse with moon painted on door at the poston schoolhouse museum in fleming county kentucky

Please share if you know any places (on or off the beaten path) that would make a good subject for an artist!

Stay tuned for more!

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new stamp!

I take a lot of pride in hand carving and printing my woodcuts and linocuts, and worry that people who aren’t familar with printmaking don’t understand what they are looking at. I designed a new stamp to put on the back of all my notecards.

rubber stamp that says 'hand carved and printed in old washington, ky' kenswinson.com

Now instead of just my website, there’s a visual cue to illustrate the unique process that goes into the work.