 Some of my earliest recollections are sitting beside my father and watching him paint in pastels. This was my first exposure to art. It would be many years before I would return to further explore this interest.
After art school my creative interests led me into a variety of creative positions. For 13 years I was with the Hudsons Bay Company (HBC) and eventually worked out of the head office in Winnipeg as the national director overseeing the implementation of the merchandising and visual presentation priorities in the 250 HBC stores across Canada. I eventually left the Bay and started my own design business as a retail sales consultant. At this time I also marketed, conceptualized, designed and installed seasonal decor packages for shopping centres primarily in Manitoba.
 I have also had a keen interest in travelling and have visited 35 countries and travelled by motorcycle in 23 of those countries. Some motorcycling trips have included riding from Germany to Corsica; the UK; Spain to Morocco; Winnipeg to the Copper Canyon in Mexico en route to riding the four deserts of North America; Victoria to Panama City, P anama; and Victoria to Cabo San Lucas.
These trips included many highlights including canyoneering in Utah and trekking to 100’ above Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal to name a few.
Having finally retired, I am now able to devote much more time to my passion for painting. After painting part-time in pastels for 20 years, I am now able to work full time on my art work. My subject matter has included the places that I have visited, however more recently I have focused on capturing the iconic locations from our VSC plein air outings and from other unique locations closer to home.
NOTE: Ken McKenzie is the Artist in Residence at the Empress Hotel for the month of February.
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