Ken Blacktop Gentle

"a contemporary self-taught artist"

Monday, June 23, 2014

Acrylic on tar paper

blacktop folk art: 'Many years ago, I saw several paintings by Milton Avery, John Marin and Jimmy Lee Sudduth, and recognized that art is not as complex or as simple as it's made out to be, but rather it comes from your heart and soul, not from your mind.' Ken Blacktop Gentle is a modern-primitive full-time artist who began painting at an early age as a way of sharing his experiences of growing up in the South. Over twelve years ago he began creating multi-media paintings and drawings. “My paintings, drawings and collages are a process of storytelling - bringing and invoking the past and spirits into people and environments. They are also about a way of life and the events that have changed our lives. I focus on contemporary social and political issues which include the complexities of relationships. Scenes of people at work and play, old houses, churches, baptisms and the struggles of everyday life are my favorite subjects. I have a passion for telling the stories of growing up in a time where the simple pleasures of life were important and cherished.”

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