Ok, so a few weeks ago a very exciting email popped up in my inbox, asking if I would like to meet iconic Australian Artist Ken Done of course i jumped at the chance! It’s not every day you get to meet an Australian Icon!
To those of you not familiar (there can’t be too many!) Ken is one of my Favourite living legends, growing up in Australia you could not help but be influenced by this legendary artist. So an opportunity to meet him was a dream come true! ( we even swapped books!)
click here to see more of Ken’s work
I couldn’t pass up this opportunity and share some insight into a few of Ken’s favourite things, It was great to learn that Ken is as colourful and optomistic as is artworks, it was a great to visit and spend time in his studio where the magic happens
Tell us about your journey -how you became an artist?
I went to art school at 14 and a half but I was 40 before I had my first exhibition. I didn’t become an artist, I was an artist. It’s just when I was young I didn’t know it.
Where do you live?
At Chinaman’s Beach, near Mosman.
How would you describe the look/style of your space at home
A simple villa. A studio overlooking the beach. A house full of paintings.
Where is your favourite place to holiday?
We have been travelling for many years. We’ve holidayed in the Arctic, Europe, the Pacific, America, and the Antarctic. Some holidays are in the snow, some holidays are in the tropics where I can continue to snorkel and explore my love of the reef.
Favourite thing in your home?
My family
What are you loving right now?
The latest painting that I am working on.
Coffee or tea? (And how you take it?)
Either.
What’s your favourite day of the week?
At my age, any day that you wake up is good.
What’s your favourite thing to do on the weekend?
We swim every day and have breakfast by the beach, however Sunday breakfasts are a bit more indulgent.
Favourite street to shop in?
I like Mosman Junction and the shops at the airport
Favorite place to eat?
Near my gallery – Quay for special occasions, or the little Japanese restaurants tucked away in the Rocks or overlooking the Opera House, and sometimes at the Park Hyatt. (Yuki’s and Nakashima)
Favorite places to shop?
Parkers Art Supply Shop, it’s like being in a sweet shop.
What are you reading/watching/listening to?
I’m reading crime fiction, I’m watching English comedy, I’m listening to rhythm and blues.
Favourite city?
Sydney
What’s your motto?
Look to this day
Favourite meal?
Beluga caviar, once a year
Any pets?
Sadly, no dog at the moment, but we are very attached to the magpies, seagulls and lorikeets we feed in the morning and the half a dozen large bream that I feed from the rocks in front of the studio.
favourite song?
at the moment, The Jealous Kind by Ray Charles
Your signature cocktail?
Anything with vodka
Where’s your happy place?
In my head
What do you collect?
Some expensive art, some worthless junk. Both beautiful to me.
What/who inspires you
Living in Autralia and beside the harbour in Sydney is a constant source of inspiration
What are you working on right now?
Paintings of the Antarctic
What’s next?
A series of talks related to the launch of my newly released memoir (Ken Done: A Life Coloured In), then the exhibition in June of the Antarctic pictures to benefit the McGrath Foundation.
