by Kenneth Kelsoe

Nelson Mandela
Description:

Nelson Mandela personifies struggle. He is still leading the fight against apartheid with extraordinary vigor and resilience after spending nearly three decades of his life behind bars. He has sacrificed his private life and his youth for his people, and remains South Africa's best known and loved hero. He was the first democratically elected State President of South Africa serving from May 1994 - June 1999. Nelson Mandela retired from Public life in June 1999.

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About Kenneth:

Kenneth Kelsoe was born in 1944, in Montebello, California, and was the third of four boys. His father, Boze, was a lumber grader. Boze changed jobs frequently, so the family moved up and down the west coast of the United States. At one time they lived in a logging camp in the Trinity Alps. On another, the family lived in downtown East Los Angeles.

While in high school, Ken played football, water polo, and wrestled. He was also the editor of the school newspaper. Ken graduated from Marysville High School in 1962. After graduation he worked in a lumber mill for a year before returned to school to study art at Santa Ana College and Yuba College. While at Yuba College, Ken met Patsy Lynn DeGarmo, the love of his life. In 1965 they were married in Wheatland. The following year they moved to Oakland, where Ken attended California College of Arts and Crafts.

In 1967, Ken left college and took a job in a machine shop. There he served an apprenticeship and became a journeyman machinist. Ken was unable to focus on his family, his job, and his painting, all at the same time. Since his family was his highest priority, and his job was essential to health of his family, he put his paints away and focused on his family and job.

In 1970, Ken and Pat’s son Matthew was born. They didn’t want to raise Matt in the city, so in ‘72 they moved to Oroville, California. Ken got a job at RCBS, a manufacturer of reloading equipment for rifle and pistol ammunition. During his tenure at RCBS he held positions as machinist, tool maker, department supervisor, engineer, and finally the plant’s Safety and Environmental Manager.

Shortly after moving to Oroville, Ken and Pat bought two acres in a stand of pine and cedar trees. They cleared the brush and put in the utilities, and in ’75, with the help of friends and family, they started built their home. Pat and Ken still live in their home in the trees.

In 2005, after 33 years of service, Ken retired from RCBS. After a year Pat talked Ken into taking a summer painting class with her at Butte College. By the end of the summer, Ken was hooked on painting again. Now he has both the time and energy to devote to his painting. Ken is fascinated with people and the difficulty of painting them challenges his skills.

Ken spent his first year painting with acrylics. He did portraits of his family and friends. Each painting showed improvement over the previous one. Then in January of 2006, he switched to pastels. Pastels were faster to work with and were much more direct and responsive. For about 8 months Ken worked exclusively in pastels. He did portraits of boxers and football players, of political figures and western actors. Then one day he started to do a nude “Lady by Window”. As he studied the subject he determined that it should be executed in acrylics not pastels. So he dug out his acrylics and put away his pastels and has been working exclusively in acrylics ever since.

Ken refers to himself as a portrait painter not an artist. He believes that time and society will determine if his portraits are art. Ken’s goal is to continue developing his style and technique, and to have his work recognized in the art community.

Oroville, CA - United States