Artist M. M. Kent
January 2012 Program
Kent Landrum, aka M.M. Kent, was most recently awarded the American Art Collector
Award of Excellence at the American Impressionist Society 12th Annual National
Juried Show, and has won numberous other regional and national awards. He says
of his work:
"For a number of years, I've been practicing art. There are times when I have
eliminated everything but subject and materials; when I enter the mysterious union
with that which isn't me; when the awesome beauty of life is overwhelming. There are
other times when my paints and brushes are thwarting me at every stroke; when the
color won't work; when I've forgotten to be humble and ask for guidance. These
experiences are the core of what art is. Sometimes it's harmony, and sometimes it's a
struggle, but in either case art is about a profound connection between the artist and
the outer world.
My mother was a great facilitator so I learned to draw early, painted a picture every
year or so and as a young man took a couple of classes in drawing and design at the
University of Texas in Austin. After University I moved to Arkansas and became a
"generalist" (carpenter, farmer, plumber, electrician, etc.)
My painting is considered "decorative" by some folks in the art world, since I am
attempting to portray beauty in my work. That's OK with me, and if I have successfully
conveyed the beauty of my subject, its partly because I have felt that beauty. There
are a few conventions I use when painting, but I strive to keep my approach fresh and
unformulated, and my subjects varied. I do figure painting, landscapes, street scenes
and still life but have yet to paint my masterpiece."
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