Category: 1980s

The 1980’s started out with a move from Missoula, Montana (where I taught ceramics), to Norman, Oklahoma (where I would teach sculpture) at the University of Oklahoma. In Oklahoma I had a studio at “North Base”, a decommissioned World War II airbase owned by the University. That is where I really worked on the shoe pieces through 1984.…

These are some “process” shots of a residency I did at the Arts Industry Program of the Kohler Company, and the John Michael Kohler Art Center, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin during 1988. I was priveleged to be one of the first artists to work in the cast iron foundry there. The experience and the people were…

In 1988 I did an installation at the Washington Project for the Arts in Washington D.C. as part of a group exhibition entitled the “Tell Tale Heart”.  It was curated by Mel Watkin and also featured the work of artists James Luna, Judy Southerlandand, and Pat Ward Williams. My installation brought together several different kinds…

Shoe Animals These animals are residents of our cityscapes and our psyche. They are “big game” animals, symbols of the natural uncontrollable landscape, the frontier. They are the true sublime, our subconscious, the dreamscape, the other. They are essential. They are dangerous. They are hilarious. They are gruesome. They are cute. They are trash. They…

“Mesa” :  A Public Art Work Commissioned by the Seattle Arts Commission for the Woodland Park Zoo, Completed in 1991, Ken Little (Artist). I would start my explanation of the work with quotations from my initial “Letter of Interest” used in application for the project. “My past experience with public art has been exclusively from…

1983-86  “Caprock Too!” was a 45 minute performance that grew out of my studio work and my experience doing ceramic workshops. It involved a script, a stage set, props, lighting cues, and another actor, my great friend, Brian Cross. The stage set started with an eight foot tall ladder with a 2X4 across it. There…

“Suits  Me”Working over the years as an artist I have cycled through a number of ideas and images repeatedly. I make things with my hands. I look at them over a period of time. I make adjustments until they are right. Itʼs a sort of antique indulgence that keeps me centered and disciplined. It helps…

All the drawings here were done as studies in form for the paper pieces that would come later. The process was to completely black out a piece of paper with charcoal and then erase out the image. It was allot like carving in three dimensions but simpler. It was a great way to design a…

I think of these as “Masks” or “Helmets” rather than animal heads. The distinction is that they incorporate the prominent features of the animal’s appearance or anatomy, but they have been simplified, stylized, and animated. It is very obvious that they are hollow. Their historical influences and foundations are found in carved wooden Indian masks…

Animal Masks I think of these as “Masks” or “Helmets” rather than animal heads. The distinction is that they incorporate the prominent features of the animal’s appearance or anatomy, but they have been simplified, stylized, and animated. It is very obvious that they are hollow. Their historical influences and foundations are found in carved wooden…