Ken Smith, originally from Des Moines, is a photographer from Riverside, Washington. Ken works in both digital and traditional photographic processes. When working digitally, he produces his still life compositions by scanning an actual leaf or flower and then manipulating the color and contrast of the image. He also works in black and white and often incorporates split-toned or hand-colored images. Ken creates a strong sense of tranquillity and focuses on the beauty of nature in his simple compositions. He chooses these subjects because, for him, they have a recurring theme of impermanence and change. "My role as an artist is to be open, curious, and available to observe. I look for something to move me, so I might pass that on into the work. The process of observing leaves one open to a mystery beyond thought or the so-called coincidence. This reverence for the unexpected is key. The artwork is a symbol, a trigger, for the viewer to be moved to a feeling that she innately recognizes, always has known, though cannot define in ordinary terms. She is brought into the artwork, the feeling within, and is moved as though she had forgotten something precious, and is now reminded.My work is influenced by Asian aesthetics and philosophy. Though I feel there are many complexities inside my imagery, I struggle with the contradiction that comes in paring my work down to the simplest form, as though a seventeen-syllable haiku.My creative life began as a freelance writer, and commercial & editorial photographer. For years I have been concentrating on limited-editioned fine-art, and my most extensive body of work is in the still life genre. I also work with the landscape, and the female form. I print my work in black & white and color, using both traditional photographic processes & archival pigment ink on fine cotton printmaking papers. In recent years I have followed the natural growth of my work using various mixed-media.My work has been exhibited internationally…is in museum, corporate, government, and private collections in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Japan. I am represented by several galleries, showing in group and solo shows. I work full time as an artist from my home studio in the forested mountains of North Central Washington State – closely surrounded by nature which stimulates my spirit and influences my artwork." Ken's photographs can be found in private and public collections in the United States as well as in Europe. Collections include Fifth Avenue Suites Hotel in Portland, Ore.; Japanese Cultural Center in Spokane, Wa.; Washington State Arts Commission; Hewlett-Packard in Dublin, Ireland; Hubbell Realty; Rain & Hail Insurance; and Thomas McGee L.C. in Kansas City.