Bio

I have been influenced by Japanese artists and culture, and am attracted to the concept of wabi sabi – “wisdom in natural simplicity” (Taro Gold. Living Wabi Sabi). This concept leads to an aesthetic that includes asymmetry, irregularity, simplicity, economy, modesty, intimacy and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.  Stone is a perfect media to express this aesthetic, starting with the natural simplicity of the boulder.  It is difficult to improve upon the beauty of a natural object, but I strive to bring out the stone’s elegant form, while maintaining the sense of discovery and surprise when exploring the variations within the stone. 

Stone is among the oldest of sculptural materials and might seem irrelevant in a petrochemical world, but people react to stone from an ancient place within.  It brings them back to simpler times, with forms and textures not pulled from a machine mold, and they are drawn to touch and caress the surfaces. 

Education

• BS Biochemisty – University of Missouri – Columbia
• MBA Finance – University of Chicago

Exhibitions

•  1999 Written in Stone – Group Show Pratt Fine Arts Center, Seattle, WA
• 2000 Stones Unleashed – Group Show Metropolis Gallery, Bremerton, WA
• 2000-2 D’Adamo Hill Gallery – Group Show, Seattle, WA
• 2000 Haheim Gardens Gallery – Group Show, Seattle, WA, curator Nancy Jordan
• 2001 Seattle Art Museum Supporters - Sculpture Garden Show, Seattle, WA
• 2001 Members Exhibit – Kirsten Gallery, Seattle, WA
• 2001 Haheim Gardens Gallery – Group Show, Seattle, WA
• 2002 Seattle Art Museum Supporters - Garden of Arts Show, Seattle, WA
• 2002 Haheim Gardens Gallery – Group Show, Seattle, WA
• 2003 Carnegie Gallery – Group Show, Oregon City, OR
• 2003 Art Matters – Group Show, Tacoma, WA
• 2004 Miner Gallery – Two-person show, Seattle, WA
• 2004 Art Matters – Group Show, Tacoma, WA
• 2004 Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts – Lake Oswego, OR, Jurors Award for “Coda”
• 2005 Island Museum of Art – Group Show, Friday Harbor, WA
• 2005 Art Matters – Group Show, Tacoma, WA
• 2005 City of Everett Arboretum Sculpture Garden – Everett, WA
• 2005 Miner Gallery – Two-person show, Seattle, WA
• 2006 Art Matters – Group Show, Tacoma, WA
• 2006-7 Wilsonville Citizens for Public Art – Cosm selected for downtown display
• 2007 Art Matters – Group Show, Tacoma, WA
• 2007 Stone Sculptors – Celebrating 20 Years – Group Show, Seattle, WA, Columbia City Gallery
• 2007 Marbles – Group Show, Seattle, WA, Marenakos Stone Center
• 2008 Bohemia Gallery – Ashland, OR – 3 person show
• 2012 Shift Gallery – Seattle, WA – Group Show, my work selected for show poster
• 2012 Tashiro Kaplan Arts Complex – Seattle, WA - ‘Who does she think she is?’ Group Exhibition
• 2013 Shift Gallery – Seattle, WA – “Black and White”, sculptures by Ken Barnes
• 2014 Shift Gallery – Seattle, WA – “Pigments of the Imagination”, sculptures by Ken Barnes
• 2015 Shift Gallery – Seattle, WA – “Recent Work”, sculptures by Ken Barnes
• 2016 Shift Gallery – Seattle, WA – “Recent Work”, sculptures by Ken Barnes

Commissions

• Portal - West Eighth Office Tower Lobby, 2010, Seattle
• Igneous Ensemble – SouthEast Effective Development pocket park, 2011, Seattle
• BoneStone – Pocatello Arts Council park, 2015, Pocatello, Idaho

Other

• Washington State Arts Commission Roster, 2015-18
• Oregon Art in Public Places Roster, 2016
• Invited sculptor to An Giang Impressions 2005 International Stone Sculpture Symposium, Chau Doc, Vietnam
• President (3 years) and Board Member (12 years), Northwest Stone Sculptors Association
• Featured Artist Sculpture Northwest, September/October 2004 and 2013 issues

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