THE BIOGRAPHY OF KEN RICHARD BUCKLEW

Ken was born in Greencastle, Indiana on March 8, 1957. He grew up on the edge of Spencer in Owen County, Indiana about 13 miles northeast of Bloomington. The Bucklew Gallery is currently located in Spencer near the entrance to Indiana’s oldest “ McCormick’s Creek” State Park.

Ken’s natural talent for drawing and painting was recognized by his elementary school art teacher, Ms. Ina Hight, who gave him an awareness of his potential. Ken’s work began earning him recognition, awards and a limited income during his high school years.

Ken was accepted by a technical school and planned on earning his degree in commercial art. However, the summer after high school graduation, Ken sustained a severe spinal cord injury in a diving accident. The injury resulted in total paralysis from his neck down. Many months of therapy and rehabilitation were required to achieve sufficient mobility for him to care for himself. While self sufficient, the injury has left Ken with a significant loss of coordination, strength, and mobility. In addition, the injury removed feeling and dexterity in his fingers and hands which Ken has overcome by developing upper arm and shoulder controls of his painting strokes.

Art became and is his continual therapy. Ken finally got his degree in commercial art and worked as an illustrator for an advertising agency. He financed his continued interest in nature and development of painting techniques by creating and selling nature and wildlife art for greeting cards, calenders, and educational materials. From 1984 to 1994 Ken taught college courses in commercial art. During this period, between commercial assignments and teaching, Ken focused his spare time on oil paintings of favorite natural and unspoiled settings that he had discovered in the undeveloped woodlands of Owen County. These early oil paintings enabled Ken to demonstrate a unique technique and style of painting.

From the early 1990’s to the present Ken’s art has progressed both in quality and stature. His oils have become regular award winners in the annual Indiana Heritage Arts and Hoosier Salon Exhibitions. Many corporate and private collectors have begun to acquire his work.

Ken’s waterfowl and gamebird paintings have also gained both local and national recognition. His artwork has raised several thousands of dollars for Ducks Unlimited’s wetlands restoration projects. Ken is currently the all time winner in the Indiana DNR’s nationwide art competitions to select paintings for the Indiana Duck Stamp, Game Bird Stamp, and the Hoosier Outdoor Calender covers. The 19 first place finishes over the past 10 years are a remarkable achievement.

PRESERVING NATURE THROUGH ART

Ken’s interest in nature began at an early age. His early preschool childhood was spent surveying Kay’s Woods which was only a few steps from the back door of his home. For the past 40 years, he has learned much from his focused and patient observation in the wild and from analyzing techniques of earlier master artists.

His intimate knowledge of the wildlife and the component parts of their habitats combined with the detail knowledge of the landscape, geology, flora and fauna enable him to capture truth and realism in all his works.

Ken’s goals are to have his work recognized with the impressionistic achievements of the early Hoosier painters from the late 19th and early 20th century and to have professional botanists, horticultural, and wildlife experts recognize the anatomical correctness of his work, and to preserve forever the beauty of unspoiled places created and preserved by nature.

OIL IMPRESSIONS OF NATURE:

Ken’s gallery of oils present the complex beauty of unspoiled places created by nature. The paintings capture a moment in an ever changing landscape that we hope will remain untouched. Each painting in this collection is a picture of a specific location in Central or Southern Indiana. The trees, wildflowers, foliage,
and wildlife are anatomically correct.

ACRYLICS OF WILDLIFE:

Ken’s gallery of acrylics present Butterflies, Song Birds, Waterfowl, Game Birds, and a variety of ducks in their natural habitats. Ken's Wildlife acrylics have won many state game bird and duck stamp competitions and have been recognized in national competitions.

WATERCOLORS OF HOME AND NATURE

Ken’s gallery of watercolors offer the simplistic beauty of the countryside, a familiar barn, domestic animals and sometimes a glimpse of interacting wildlife.

SKETCHES OF WILDLIFE AND FAMILIAR HABITATS.

Ken’s gallery of pencil sketches were the beginnings or a part of the Art presented in the above galleries. In addition, Ken has created pencil sketches as a signature included with prints of his wildlife art.