Kenneth Armstrong 1919 -2006

Born in Consett, Ken was a fitter and turner at the local steel works and went to sea as an engineer with Shell in 1945, carrying oil to Britain in the latter stages of WWII.. Studying hard he became the youngest Chief Engineer in the fleet at that time.   He started to paint in the mid-1960s as an alternative to the lure of duty free cigarettes and alcohol when he was off-watch!  Starting with oils and moving through pastels he eventually found his best medium was watercolour landscapes and after retirement in 1970 he was able to devote more time to his talent, which also included using his turning skills to produce wooden bowls and other objetcs..   He founded Castleside Art Club which still thrives today and after moving to Whitley Bay he joined Cullercoats Art Club and was chair for several years.He sold many of his pictures through the club's regular exhibitions and often people who bought them came back to him for more. His subjects cover local, regional and international locations as he travelled extensively during his career and developed a particular love of Australia. He travelled back many times in retirement to visit family but also to travel and paint.  He loved the Blue Mountains area in New South Wales and has created his interpretation of the light on the landscape there.   Kenneth died in 2006 of industrial mesothelioma, leaving a wife,son, daughter and 5 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.

Kenneth's family have asked the Artist's Network to help promote his work.