Vaughan, Ken

Ken Vaughan was born in Pictou County in 1953. Following university at St. Mary’s and Dalhousie in Halifax, he worked for over 25 years in public libraries in Saskatchewan. He moved back to Nova Scotia in 2010, and lives in East Petpeswick, near Martinique Beach, on the Eastern Shore.  He has studied at the Alberta College of Art and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.  He paints portraits, landscapes and still lifes primarily in oils, but has also worked in watercolours and acrylics. He is the proprietor of the Clipper Gallery in Musquodoboit Harbour.

Artist Statement

I am inspired primarily by the emotional impact a subject makes on me, whether that subject is a face, a collection of objects, or a particular landscape. Light, the interplay of positive and negative shapes, the inherent nostalgia or associative qualities of objects – all of these formal and psychological elements move me. I also do some photography, and use photographs as spring boards for paintings, not in a literal sense, but as starting points. The greatest compliment I could receive for my work would be that it brings a sense of calm or peace to the viewer.