Ken Schuck

I am a figurative painter and trained theologian working in oils and pastel from direct observation. I am driven by what I imagine to be the same instinct that propelled our ancestors to paint on cave walls, which I believe is the mystical experience of reconstructing something as impermanent as our visual experience onto a tangible surface.

I bring my theological interests and queries into all genres of my work. When I create a still life, I attempt to examine how ordinary objects can transcend the mundane. Using visual motifs such as reflective surfaces, open doors, and empty containers, I invite the viewer’s attention to the inarticulable presence that maintains the universe. By evoking a simultaneously threatening and playful presence, I ask “Is the proximity of a force as powerful as God comforting?” With portraiture, including self-portraiture, I explore the nature of human relationships—with each other, with ourselves, and between ourselves as God—as a reflection of the human relationship with the divine. I rely heavily on landscape as a subject, using the act of intentional seeing to better understand the interdependent relationships in ecosystems, as well to feel more a part of one. My most recent work has centered on interiors, specifically sacred spaces, and understanding the qualities that set apart these spaces and the rituals that occur therein from our everyday lives.

EDUCATION

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary,

Masters of Divinity - Louisville, KY

Fall 2019- Spring 2022

Clinical Pastoral Education Unit I

UofL Hospital - Louisville, KY

Summer 2021

Kentucky College of Art + Design at Spalding University, 

Bachelors of Fine Arts - Louisville, KY

Fall 2012-Spring 2016

AWARDS

WSS Joan Burgess Shorey Scholarship

Washington Studio School, Washington, DC

Fall 2022

EXHIBITIONS

  • “Pyro Invitational”, Pyro Gallery, Louisville KY, 2023

  • “Art[squared], KORE Gallery, Louisville KY, 2022

  • “BODIES” , Ikouii, virtual exhibit, 2022

  • “Issue III: WIST” Mulberry literary, 2022

  • “100 under 100”, Ikouii, virtual exhibit, 2022

  • “Lift up Lou”, Louisville Artist Network, Louisville KY, 2020

  • “Aptitude”, TheGallery8680, Frisco TX, 2020

  • “Small Format Art Exhibition”, Cowry Art Studio, Miami FL 2020

  • “Symmetry”, Tall Grass Arts Association, Park Forest IL, 2020

  • “Fall Show”, Art at the Footlight, New York NY, 2019

  • “Vibrant”, The Frisco Art Gallery, Frisco TX, 2019

  • “3rd Annual Small Works Show”, Art Room, Fort Worth TX 2019

  • “Connecting Community Through Creativity”, StudioWorks by Zoom Group, Louisville 2019

  • “Artists in Our Midst”, Kaviar forge gallery, Louisville, 2017

  • “St Francis Benefit show”, St Francis High School, Louisville, 2017

  • “Deck the Halls”, Tim Faulkner Gallery, Portland Louisville, 2016