认识肯·R.

美术系学生

For two-time Hudson Valley graduate and current 美术系学生 肯·Rutsky, 艺术不仅仅是一份工作或一种爱好. 这是一种生活方式.

The 46-year-old earned his first Hudson Valley degree in 2000, 文科AA级, and went on to get his bachelor’s degree in writing. 虽然他一直很喜欢视觉艺术, he spent the next decade pursuing other creative endeavors, 主要是音乐和写作. 然后, 大约十年前, a series of life changes led him back to his earlier passion for painting—and back to Hudson Valley in the process.

“我的婚姻结束了。, 我的乐队结束了, and I finally shelved the novel I’d been picking at since my mid-20s,肯解释道. “我对音乐不再抱有幻想，不会写作. 我需要一个新的出口，所以我开始画画. After a year of that, I bought a set of acrylic paints and I was off to the races.”

His first round of studies at Hudson Valley had gone well, so he decided to come back to pursue an A.S. in Fine Arts to keep developing his rekindled passion for painting. “I chose this school the first time because everyone I talked to had good things to say about it, and I could afford to pay for that first semester out of pocket,他说. “我非常喜欢这次经历, when I decided to re-return to school a few years ago, there was no question whether I’d make my re-restart at Hudson Valley or not.”

The second round went well, too—so well, in fact, that after he graduated with his A.S. 2021年获得美术学士学位, he decided to further hone his skills by enrolling in the college’s advanced study course in drawing and painting. The decision paid dividends in both art and accolades.

“My time in the art program here – two years for the degree, followed by two years in the advanced course – has had a profound impact on me and my art,他说. “The students here are super talented and have inspired me to do my best to keep up with them. I’ve made some good friends here, despite the age difference. 所有的课程都很有挑战性, 教的不仅仅是基本功, but introducing me to new artists or concepts I’d never have found on my own. I think Hudson Valley plays a large part in the improvement my art has seen over the past four years—and in my humble opinion, 它已经见过很多次了.”

Designed for students who’ve completed foundation fine arts courses and wish to pursue their own body of work, the advanced study course Ken enrolled in includes two semesters of guided study in drawing and painting, 由美术教授托马斯·莱伊教授, 事实证明, would inspire Ken even further in his creative career. It was Professor Lail’s encouragement that led him to submit one of the paintings he created during the course, “隐藏在众目睽睽之下,” to the annual Best of SUNY Arts Exhibition this spring. He was one of three students from SUNY’s 64 campuses to win a “Best of SUNY” award for his work. Though he’s been selling and showing his art since 2020, 他说 he was surprised—and thrilled—to get the news.

“I chose my final painting from my first year in the advanced course because it worked coherently on a lot of levels in a way nothing I’d done before really had. 几乎是关于这幅画的一切, from the title to the aspect ratio of the canvas to the clothing and poses of the subject figures, has a significance that relates to the painting’s theme,他这样解释自己获奖的作品.

“隐藏在众目睽睽之下” is an example of how Ken’s art has evolved: these days, 他说, 他喜欢具象艺术, 大多是建筑或象征, using oil or acrylic paint as his medium of choice. But his inspiration runs deeper than paint on canvas: it comes from lived experiences, 也是一种独特的观察世界的方式.

“Most of my paintings depict the people and places I see as I live and work my life away. They’re rooted in a deep love I have for the Capital Region, in that I try to include things that locals would recognize… not so much the monuments or symbolic buildings, but more the places people move through on their way from point A to point B,肯解释道. “You can see every possible scene from every possible story in those places. My paintings come from snapshots I take when I see one of those scenes and realize I’m seeing it in time to capture it.”

现在, 肯正在结束他的高级学习课程, but has no plans to leave the classroom or the studio for good. 他想继续读研究生, 为了让他周围有个社区, 并进一步发展他的艺术观念. He’s just had his first solo show at a local gallery, and, 他说, he hopes it’s the first of many. 毕竟，他终于实现了自己的梦想.

“我很快就接近47了. 只是最近的事, and with the indispensable help and urging of my partner, 香农, that I found the courage to pursue a life I’ve always dreamed of leading,他说. “我很不开心了好几年，甚至几十年! – trying to live like I thought I was expected to live, and I realize now how counterproductive that was. I learned after too many years that I’m not the type who thrives in an office environment, and after years of self-doubt I’m ready to take on the challenge of making a life in the arts, 不管采取什么形式.”

Ken’s unique experiences have left him with some wisdom to share with students just starting out. “I’d like every student who reads this to know that you should live the life that’s for you, not the one that most everyone tells you to live,他说. “Happiness is worth a lot more than money in the long run.”