You cannot separate Ken Auster, the surfer, from Ken Auster, the artist.

For it was in his formative years in Long Beach, California, where Ken grew up with his feet deeply planted in the surfing culture, that he first learned to express his art talent. Caught up in the ground swell of the 1960s surfing culture, Ken not only plunged into the sport of surfing but into the art and graphics of surfing as well.

While working his way towards a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from Long Beach State University, Ken built one of the world's most prominent silkscreen and T-shirt companies, creating now-legendary surfing art that adorned surfers from Belmont Shores to Hawaii to Mexico. His surfing images, silk-screened as original prints on paper, became the "fine art" of this beach culture, and today, represent the classic surf art of the past century.

At the heart of Ken's work was always the awareness of the fine line between man-made and nature. In the mid-1990s, Ken moved to a more serious art level - involving him with the immediacy of oil paints as opposed to the process-burdened medium of printmaking. Throwing himself into the splendor of "plein air" (on location) painting, Ken discovered the richness and broad colors of the city life he long avoided. As he will tell you, he rejoiced in this newfound ability to paint anything and everything - cafes, train stations, airports, street scenes, and of course, never far away, was the beach, his first love.

The transition from surf art to serious impressionism was natural for Ken - his passion and obsession to reach a new understanding between himself and the oil painting medium took on a new intensity of discovery. "I simply want to achieve the ultimate communication on the canvas - to say more with less," Ken says.

His deft use of color. His economies of brush strokes. His simple, yet beautifully structured compositions. As one famous critic described - "each painting captures a moment in time charged with a hint of narrative drama. And each is rendered with such vibrant immediacy that a single glance excites other senses as well."

Ken's passion for painting is shared with hundreds of students who each year travel from around the world to attend his workshops in Laguna Beach and Carmel. With his life partner, Paulette Martinson, they have a thriving art world centered at their studio and gallery in picturesque Laguna Canyon.

In a relatively short time since this transition to plein air painting, Ken Auster has moved to the forefront of American contemporary impressionists. He consistently walks away with gold medals and first place awards at juried exhibits. His work is collected by some of the most respected galleries and patrons.

Renowned for his classic surf art, Ken Auster now sees and paints a bold, dynamically changing world, whether it is London, Venice (Italy), San Francisco, Carmel, Napa Valley, or Baja, Mexico. He shares with us the uncomplicated but moving stories on canvas - simply and effectively, documenting the ordinary in an unordinary manner.

And what about his surfing? Well, if the surf is flat, you'll find Ken in his studio. But when the surf is "up", you'll find Ken, most likely, filling his other passion.

Ken Auster Biography

Born:
1949, Los Angeles, CA

Education:
California State University, Long Beach, CA

Juried Exhibitions Selected:

2003 Carmel Plein-Air Invitational,
Carmel, CA "Honorable Mention"

2002 Laguna Art Museum Lincoln Plein Air Painting
Invitational, Laguna Beach, CA
"1st Place"

2002 Laguna Art Museum Lincoln Plein Air Painting
Invitational, Laguna Beach, CA
"Honorable Mention"

2002 "Carmel Plein-Air Invitational Carmel, CA
"First Place"

2002 "Salon International 2000" International Museum
of Contemporary Masters of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX

2001 Carmel Invitational, Carmel, CA
"2nd Place"

2000 2nd Annual Laguna Invitational
Plein Air Painting Competition, Laguna Beach, CA
"1st Place"

2000 9th Annual National Juried Exhibition of OPA
"Gamblin Artists Colors Award of Excellence"

1999 "Carmel Plein-Air Invitational Carmel, CA
"Mayor's Choice Award"

1999 "Oil Painters of America"
Juried Exhibition Scottsdale AZ

1998 "Millard Sheets Plein-Air"
Millard Sheets Gallery, Pomona, CA
"First Place"

1998 "Sights of Santa Ana & Scenes of Orange County"
Bowers Museum of Cultural Art and City of Santa Ana
Santa Ana, CA
"First Place"

1998 "Echoes and Visions" Laguna Niguel Art Association
Laguna Niguel, CA
"First Place"

1998 "Artist of the Year Award"
San Diego Oceans Foundation San Diego, CA

1998 "Treasures of Sierra's" California Art Club
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Fullerton, CA

1997 "Third Annual California Art Club
Outdoor Painting Festival"
San Juan Capistrano, CA
"Honorable Mention"

1997 "Classic Competition"
Carnegie Museum Oxnard, CA
"Honorable Mention"

1997 "Sights of Santa Ana"
Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA
"First Place Best of Show"

1997 "88th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition"
California Art Club Pasadena, CA
"Honorable Mention"

1997 "Juried and Invitational Made in California"
Brea Cultural Center Brea, CA

Solo Exhibitions:

2003 "Town and Country"
New Masters Gallery, Carmel CA

2003 Bakersfield Museum of Art, Bakersfield, CA

2003 "Back Out East West"
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2002 Gallery Americana, Carmel, CA

2002 "Beyond the Orange Curtain"
MJW Gallery, Balboa Island, CA

2002 "Slice of Life"
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2001 "SF2"
Thomas Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2001 Gallery Americana, San Francisco, CA

2000 "Life at the Edge"
Robson Gallery, San Diego, CA

2000 "Environments"
Gallery Americana,Carmel, CA

1999 "San Francisco Sur"
Thomas R. Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1998 "The California Coast"
Thomas R. Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1997 "Plein Air Landscapes"
Thomas R. Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1996 "Ken Auster One-Man Show"
Gallery Aizen, Tokyo, Japan

Dual Exhibitions:

2001 "City Slickers and Country Cousins"
Robson Gallery, San Diego, CA

1999 "City Life and Country Critters"
Robson Gallery, San Diego, CA

1999 "East and West"
Graphics Gallery, Balboa Island, CA

1999 "New Works by California Impressionist Painters"
The Exchange Gallery, Orange, CA

Affiliations

California Art Club, Pasadena, CA (Signature Member)
Laguna Plein-Air Painters Association, Laguna Beach, CA
(Signature Member)
Oil Painters of America, Park Ridge, IL
The Plein-Air Painters of America, Santa Fe, NM
(Signature Member)
The Society for the Advancement of Plein Air Painting, Avalon, CA

Exhibitions:

2003 "Meet the Artists III"
The Pacific Art Foundation and MJW Fine Art, Irvine, CA

2003 "Renaissance Auction, Houston, TX"
Produced by Morris & Whiteside Galleries

2003 "American Art Classic, Hilton Head, SC"
Produced by Morris & Whiteside Galleries

2003 "Harbours, Bays and Docks"
MJW Fine Art, Balboa Island, CA

2003 "Salond Arts' Colorado History Museum, Denver, CO"

2003 "Views of New York, Big City Big Paintings"
MJW Fine Art, Balboa Island, CA

2003 "The Allure of Light" (PAPA Signature Members Show)
Eleanor Bliss Center for the Arts at the Depot, Steamboat Springs, CO

2003 "American Art Classic XVIII"
Morris and Whiteside Galleries, SC

2002 "Surf Culture, The Art History of Surfing"
Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA

2002 "Summer Salon"
MJW Fine Art, Balboa Island, CA

2002 "Summer Showcase II"
Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA

2002 "Boats"
MJW Fine Art, Balboa Island, CA

2002 "Small Works"
Leslie Levy Fine Art, Scottsdale, AZ

2002 "Collectors Choice"
The Bakersfield Museum, Bakersfield, CA

2002 "America the Beautiful"
Gardner & Colby Gallery, Naples, FL

2002 "Facing the City"
DNFA Gallery, Pasadena, CA

2001 "Indoors Outdoors"
MJW Fine Art, Balboa Island, CA

2001 "11th Annual Northwest Invitational Miniature Show"
Howard/Mandville Gallery, Kirkland, WA

2001 "The Pool Show"
DNFA Gallery, Pasadena, CA

2001 "Life on Southern California's Beaches"
California Artt Club, Pasadena, CA

2001 "Tomorrow's Masters"
MJW Fine Art, Balboa Island, CA

2001 "American Figurative Painting"
DNFA Gallery, Pasadena, CA

2001 "Balboa Island, Then and Now"
MJW Fine Art, Balboa Island, CA

2001 "Figures"
MJW Fine Art, Balboa Island, CA

2000 "Tomorrow's Masters"
Graphics Gallery, Balboa Island, CA

1999 "Surfin' Art Exhibition"
SO. Texas Museum of Art, Corpus Christi, TX

1998 "Focus VII: Orange County Artists Art-Associations"
John Wayne Airport Arts Commission, John Wayne Airport
Costa Mesa, CA

1998 "Channel Islands Conservancy Exhibition"
Oak Group, Santa Barbara, CA "Guest Artist"

1998 "Back Bay Exhibition"
Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach, CA

1997 "Plein Air Painters of America Catalina Exhibition"
Catalina Island, CA "Guest Artist"

1997 "Laguna Beach Museum of Art Gallery"
Laguna Beach, CA

1996 "The Annual Art and Craft Show"
Thomas R. Reynolds Gallery, San Francisco, CA

1996 "Local's Only"
Stuart Katz' The Loft, Laguna Beach, CA

1989 Group Show
Marco Fine Arts Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA

Publications:

"Art & Antiques", "Emerging Artist",October 2003, pg.50
"Coast", "The Art of Community", Aug. 2002,
pages 76 and 77
"Los Angeles Times", "Social Circuits", Sunday, July 21, 2002, E2"
"Coastline Pilot,", A6 Friday, July 19, 2002 pg.50
"The Surfer's Journal", First Class, The Story Behind the
Duke Stamp, Volume 11, Number 1, pages 34-39
"Southwest Art", Notes From the West", pg. 54, March 2002
"The New Filmore", "New Filmore Art, Ken Auster:
Slices of Life", February 2002, pages 12 and 17
Iron Horse Literary Review, "First Frost 2001",
Texas Tech. University, Vol 3, No 1, 2001, Cover Art
"Qualitative Methods for Marketplace Research"
Sayre, Shay, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, 2001, Cover Art
"The Monterey County Herald," "GO!"
March 29-April 4, 2001
"Los Angeles Times," "Orange County People"
Thursday, July 20, 2000
"Los Angeles Times," "Our Times Laguna Beach"
Wednesday, July 19, 2000 B5 RS
"Southwest Art", "Best of the West", March 2000
"Southwest Art", "Art Trends", February, 2000
"Longboard Magazine", Jan/Feb 2000
"Surfer's Journal", Winter 1999
"Art Talk", "In the Galleries", October, 1999
"Southwest Art", "A Leap of Faith", March 1999
"Southwest Art", "Coastal Views", February 1998
"The Orange County Register", June 29, 1998
"Southwest Art", "Market Report", October 1997
"Southwest Art", "Milestones", November 1997
"Southwest Art", "Regional Laguna Beach", 1997
"Stoked-History of Surfing", Drew Kampion, 1997

Public/Permanent Collection:

Aliso Viejo Library, Aliso Viejo, CA
American Bank, Corpus Christi, TX
Chart House Enterprises, Solana Beach, CA
City of Santa Ana, Santa Ana, CA
County of Orange Centennial, Orange, CA
Federal Reserve Bank, San Francisco, CA
Festival of Arts, Laguna Beach, CA
Frost Bank, Corpus Christi, TX
Highlands Ranch Corporation, Denver, CO
Mr. and Mrs. Austin Hearst, Larchmont, NY
Helen Grace Chocolates, Lynwood, CA
Huntington Beach Surfing Museum, Huntington Beach, CA
Jean Stern, Irvine, CA
Joan Irvine Smith, Irvine, CA
Kaiser Permanente, Anaheim, CA
Millard Sheets Gallery, Pomona, CA
Mission Viejo Company, Mission Viejo, CA
Museum of Science and Industry, Los Angeles, CA
Oceanside Surfing Museum, Oceanside, CA
Pac Court Associates, L.P., Irvine, CA
Pacific Art Foundation, Irvine, CA
Shell Oil Irvine, Irvine, CA
Western Exterminator, Anaheim, CA
Yamaha Corporation, Japan