Malvern, Pa. - Perhaps the meditative qualities of Ken Smith's unique still life photographs, which draw heavily from nature, have something to do with the fact that he lives and works in a log cabin in the foothills of the North Cascade Mountains in Washington State.

No recluse, Smith has made quite a splash with international exhibits throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, and his work is included in dozens of corporate and private collections.  Since 1991, he has concentrated on limited editions of fine-art work with an almost exclusive emphasis on still life composition in recent years.

"My work is influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, and tao and zen philosophy," says Smith, who has been selected to be the featured artist for Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital's 2006 Art Ability exhibit Nov. 13 through Jan. 21.  "Although I feel there are many complexities inside my imagery, I struggle with the contradiction that comes in paring the work down to the simple."

Like the other artists in the upcoming Art Ability exhibit, Smith has a disability - his from a spinal injury in a light plane crash in 1979.  But neither Smith nor the other artists feel they or their work are defined by their disabilities. 

"I began as a freelance writer and a commercial and editorial photographer.  My work as an artist has grown from this avocation," explains Smith, who was injured while doing photography for an aviation magazine.  He was left with partial paraplegia and walks with a cane.

"My experience with disability has enhanced my artistic work because it has guided me to the idea that art and healing come hand-in-hand, both for the artist and viewer," Smith says.  That notion inspired him to forge affiliations with a group that embraces art and disabilities called VSA Arts, founded by Jean Kennedy Smith in Washington, D.C., where his work was honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

The healing nature of his work has been widely recognized, and his works have been displayed in numerous rehabilitation venues in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.  Several of his photographs are part of the permanent collection at Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital.          (more)
Page Two      Art Ability Featured Artist Ken Smith

Note to Editors:   Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital will host the 11th Annual Art Ability exhibit and sale of art and fine crafts by talented artists with disabilities Nov. 13 through Jan. 21.  The international, juried exhibit opens with a Patrons Preview Reception on Sunday, Nov. 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the hospital, 414 Paoli Pike, before opening free of charge to the public the following day.

The Art Ability exhibit will feature works by more than 100 professional artists who have a wide range of disabilities, including spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, visual impairments, amputations, stroke, brain injuries, and hearing impairments.  While Art Ability provides a showcase for artists, it also educates the community and increases public awareness about the breadth of exceptional talents and capabilities of people with disabilities.  The program is supported in part by generous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

The public is welcome for self-guided tours of the Art Ability exhibit between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily at the hospital, beginning Nov. 13.  For more information, contact Pat Winner, Director of Development, at 610-251-5638.

Visuals:  A high resolution version of Ken Smith's featured piece, Lily, is available upon request.  To view more of his work, link to his online gallery at www.kensmithart.com

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Published:10-25-2006