I’m Ken. I draw everything
And I do a lot of stuff
When I was six years old, I organized a Halloween parade in my neighborhood in Palmer Township, Pennsylvania. It was a failure. I expected throngs of people lining the streets. Crowds of kids in costumes. Parents with happy tears watching the whole quarter-mile march from the elementary school to my house on Washington Street.
Turns out it takes a bit of planning to make things like that happen. And I was just six.
In the intervening years, I’ve gotten a lot better at that.
I also started making art when I was six. Probably before that, even. While I got a degree in graphic design & worked in that field for over 20 years, I always wanted to be an artist [1]. It just took me 20 years to do something about it.
I paint portraits.
Pets, people, houses, cars, businesses. I’m a gallery co-owner (theartgenerators.com/) and Event Organizer.
I write a lot. My newsletter is my favorite thing. I think you should subscribe. Why? Because it’s legitimately entertaining. It’s authentic. It’s inherently a marketing tool, but with as genuine a voice as i can possibly use. Sometimes that marketing is deeply flawed. Just like all of us!
I’ve also got a Substack. This is where i write even more. Dig through that, and you’ll get a better sense of who I am. And consider a paid subscription there. It’s just $5/mo - and that little drop in the hat goes a very long way in helping me get by.
Email me at ken@studionumbernine.net
WHAT I MAKE
🐕 Pet portraits
🏠 House portraits
👨👩👧 People portraits
🌎 Maps & illustrations
🎨 Murals
✏️ Live event drawing
WHAT I DO WITH PEOPLE
Watercolor classes
Figure drawing
Pop-up portraits
Art markets
Community events
here’s what else I do though. Because I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this. I’m an organizer. I always have been. It takes a certain kind of person who does this kind of stuff. And we don’t know why, but we are just called to do it. We don’t have to be spiritual to think this way. It just is.
I coordinate a local bike bus [2]
I run figure drawing sessions
I organized local & national Cranksgiving for a dozen years
In college, I was a director of a musical
Why am I telling you all of this?
It’s part of my story. It’s part of what makes me me.
Community
I put a lot of time & effort into building community. This is hugely important to me. Here are two ways I do that.
The Art Generators - we began in 2025 as “Soma Affordable Arts” by organizing art markets to better serve the artists, and have been incredibly successful in that. Not even two years later, we have opened a brick & mortar art gallery in Maplewood’s hottest neighborhood.
Instagram: @theartgenerators
Soma Figure Drawing - every other Wednesday since 2022. Regardless of your skill level or preferred medium, you are very much welcome at Soma Figure Drawing. The practice of drawing is fundamental to developing your skills. And the community surrounding it is deeply supportive. Sign up in advance or drop in!
Instagram: @soma_figuredrawing
Portrait Commissions
Capture the spirit of what’s important to you with a unique, original piece of art. Pets, Houses, People… all of these things are what I do best.
Send me some photos and some backstory. Before we begin we’ll go over the look, feel, details, and timing to make sure everything is just right. Use the form here to give me as many details as you’d like to start with.
Each painting is 11"x14", sized to fit in standard 11"x14" or 16"x20" frames. Custom sizes are possible as well - just let me know what you’re thinking.
