Ken Auster
Raised in Long Beach, Ken Auster early established a reputation as the surfers' artist, having designed and executed numerous surfer-motif tee shirts in silk screen.
He was swept up in the surfing craze, which led him to Hawaii where he worked for a T-shirt company and learned screen painting. These skills supported him when he returned to California and majored in illustration at California State University, Long Beach. He worked from a garage and printed hundreds of commercial T-shirts, which became a large operation called California T-Shirts. For more than a decade, the shirt is became signature casual wear for surfers and were sold through 26 of Auster's retail outlets.
In the 1980s, the business fell apart, which was a relief to him because his interest had turned to fine art. He moved to Laguna Beach and after creating collages and serigraphs, he began oil painting and did popular surfing scenes.
Intrigued by the landscape, he became a plein aire painter and traveled and painted along the west coast from Oregon to Mexico.
In 1997, spring flooding did much damage to his studio, and he completely remodeled it by adding more workshop and increasing the exhibit area. To celebrate the grand opening, he had an exhibit of his San Francisco and Southern California work titled "Urban/Air: Exploring the Everyday."
Although he remained dedicated to his painting, he continued to surf several hours a day.
Source: Taos Art Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
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Ken Auster won First Prize at the Carmel Arts Festival in 2002.
Ken Auster passed away January 29, 2016.
Matinee Performance
Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30 inches