“Doing What I Love Most”

Ken Ruck has been creating art his whole life in all kinds of art forms.

Ken Ruck’s vision of a narrow canal in Venice has earned him the January 2025 Artist of the Month award from the Nature Coast Art League, whose mission is to promote visual arts and support artists in Hernando County and surrounding areas.

Ken’s watercolor painting depicts a typical Venetian narrow canal with a small stone bridge connecting buildings aged by weather and water from both sides of the canal. The painting explores the relationship between the architecture, people and space.

“A lot of my inspiration comes from architecture,” said Ken. “My wife and I visited Venice, Italy for our 45th wedding anniversary and I was totally inspired by its beauty.”

Ken comes from a vibrant and expressive family where everyone shares a natural inclination towards creative pursuits whether it be through art, writing, design, music, or other imaginative pursuits. Those family talents have now been passed down to his son and granddaughters, all of whom are talented artists.

“It started in New Jersey when I was very young,” he says. “I’m sure I inherited my creativity from my father, who painted in oils. My brothers were artistic, too. One brother went to art college and my eldest owned an auto-body shop where his design and paint jobs provided an outlet for his creativity,” said Ken.

“I knew even then, at that very early age, I loved art. I particularly admire Van Gogh and Picasso,” he added.

While at high school, Ken began creating intricate, detailed pen and ink drawings. A dazzling feast for the eyes, the tightly drawn pen and ink artwork contains so much visual information that each time you look upon it, there’s something new to discover. Also in high school, Ken took top honors in a prestigious New Jersey statewide sculpting competition.

Ken and his wife, Rosann, have lived in Hernando County since 1984 and have been busy raising a family and running a successful ceramic tile business.
“Although I may not have painted in the traditional sense as life got busy, I found other ways of satisfying and showcasing my creativity through my ceramic tile business and for a while in sculpting and making porcelain dolls,” he said.

Mostly self-taught, Ken has dabbled in a variety of media, including oil, acrylic and watercolor painting, pen and ink, and sculpting from a young age and into his early adult life.

“When retirement came along, as well as the Covid pandemic, I was very lucky that my wife, Rosann, was hugely supportive along my creative journey, says Ken. “With her encouragement, I became interested and began to hone my skills in watercolor painting. This is my medium of choice for now, but I really would like to begin sculpting again once I find a kiln I can use,” he said.

Rosann herself is a talented quilter and seamstress and currently, she and Ken are collaborating on a project together to create hand-sewn and hand-painted bags and totes. This new project combines their artistic talents and love for craftsmanship, resulting in unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect their shared vision and creativity.’ “It all started when Rosanna asked me to paint a turtle on some fabric for her and it evolved from there,” Ken smiled.

Seems like Ken has been creating his whole life in one kind of art form or another. From a very young age, he has sketched, sculpted, and painted using various media. He also captures the timeless beauty of landscapes, classic automobiles and old trucks and barns in his portfolio.

“My family did a lot of camping, hunting and fishing, and we did it in one of those cool 60s VW camper vans back in the day,” he said. ”That’s when I used to see a lot of lakes, barns, old trucks and cars that truly inspired me,” he said.

“I believe old cars and barns are beautiful,” Ken said. “They’re of a time when things were much simpler.”

“Over the past few years, I’m happy to say I am back doing what I love and hope I can share with everyone what inspires me,” which comes mostly from what he sees in everyday life, he added.

Ken and his wife are members of the Nature Coast Art League, where Ken also serves on the NCAL Board as “Director at Large” and is currently coordinating their 2025 fundraiser. Ken’s work can be viewed at the Spring Hill Library all through the month of February. “I am very honored to be recognized by the Nature Coast Art League,” he said.

Through his involvement with the Nature Coast Art League and the Front Porch Art Walk, Ken says he has met so many wonderful people who have encouraged him along the way and introduced him to the amazing Hernando County art community.

Find him at the 2025 Art in the Park coming up on March 8 and 9, the Tangerine Festival on Feb. 15 and every 1st Saturday of the month at the Hernando Beach Front Porch Art Walk from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Ken at [email protected]