Kenneth "Ken" Dalton Lywood was born on April 5, 1938 in Toronto. He was the only child of Harry Lywood and Helen May. Harry was a scoundrel and Helen was an ingenue so Ken was raised by a series of stern aunts from whom he would escape to run free in the ravines of Toronto. As the years passed he grew from a wild child into a wild artist. While living in Toronto he worked with dance and theater companies, he taught at The New School of Art, he designed sets for movies and he produced brilliant works of art. During that time he was married, twice, and had three children, Io, Allegra and Justine, (Milton came later- the only true Caper in the family). In the 1980s he and his then wife Kate, moved to Cape Breton where Ken continued to produce art and cultivate his mystique as a crazy eccentric artist- to great success! Looking back on his life it's hard to believe every story about him could be true.
Did he really open for the Canadian Ballet company? Did he really tour with Alice Cooper? Did he really run an underground newspaper? Did he really break his nose falling into a huge vat of pickles while having a fistfight over a girl? It was a running joke in our family that whenever we went to a gallery, listened to a song, or turned on a movie, within five minutes our father would recognize someone or something and start telling a story. "Did I ever tell you about the time I ...." Being kids we always responded with "Daaaaaad" and pestered him to stop talking. Now we can only wish we had paid attention, that he was here to finish the story.
Ken was an incredible person who lived a remarkable life. He was an amazing artist who produced inspiring art. He worked tirelessly painting and repainting- trying to get more light, more colour, more beauty and more authenticity onto his canvas. He cared about sharing his art and his truth with those around him. He was passionate about making the world a better place and felt that art had a crucial role to play in humanity. He was also generous with his home, his time, his art and his knowledge, as anyone who knows him can attest. Ken died peacefully on September 23, 2022. He was surrounded by his children, his art, and our love.
To misquote my father, himself misquoting Bob Dylan- He painted landscapes, he painted nudes, he contained multitudes.
We are having a get-together to celebrate Ken's life and art at his gallery space beside the home of his friends John and Angela Aguinaga located at 382 Hays River Road, West Lake Ainslie on October 22nd from 3-5 pm. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who currently has a loaned piece of art could return it to the gallery before then. We would like to honor Ken's wish to have his children and grandchildren keep what is important to them. Feel free to attach your name and contact info to the returned piece and what is not kept for immediate family we will re-release back into the wild. Please text Angela at (902) 483-5461 to arrange a time to return the art.
Partager l'avis de décès
v.1.11.2