The majestic pillars and lofty arches of the Detroit Institute for Art’s Italian Renaissance building towered over eight-year-old Ken Burney as his mom led him and his brothers through the entry under the etched entrance description “dedicated by the people of Detroit to the knowledge and enjoyment of art.”
The clacking and squeaking of shoes on tiles bounced off the vaulted ceilings as they walked through the grand halls. Ken’s brown eyes absorbed the color, sweat, humanity, and power depicted in Diego Rivera’s “Detroit Industry Mural” massive frescoes, lining the east and west walls.
It was 1968, and Mrs. Burney enrolled her sons in free art classes offered by the museum. That was 56 years ago, but Ken Burney still remembers its impact, “The art classes at the Detroit Institute of Art changed my life.” These classes ignited a love for drawing. “I drew all the time, and it all began with those classes,” said impressionist painter Ken Burney. That love would lead Ken to pursue graphic design and film at City College of San Fransisco.
After graduating, he returned to Detroit and put his artistic skills to work painting murals and designing logos and advertisements for small ad agencies, newspapers, radio stations, and other small businesses.
In 2009, Ken, his wife, and daughters moved to Lexington, Kentucky, and in 2014 he opened a tattoo shop, Studio B, covering the walls of his shop to sell his paintings. During that time, Ken also collected some commission work from his barber Toji Davis of Exquisite Belvedere Salon & Barber Shop who requested five custom paintings.
Ken’s pursuit of painting took a back seat until one summer when his daughters visited after he and his wife divorced. The crinkle of plastic drop cloths sounded every move Burney, and his daughters made in the saran-wrapped living room lined with easels. They spent the summer painting in the makeshift studio, and these heartwarming, creative experiences with his daughters reminded Ken of his love for painting. “Doing what I loved with my daughters pushed me to paint more and I had quite a few sales from my work after that.”
After that experience, Ken continued to paint and tattoo and in 2019 began driving school buses for the Fayette County School system to pay the bills until the pandemic shuttered schools.
While busing was paused, Ken deliberated about his next steps when Mark Johnson, President of Art Inc. Kentucky, contacted him about the opening of the artist studios at Art Inc. Kentucky, a non-profit dedicated to serving artists and creatives by providing resources and support to help them expand or launch sustainable businesses.
At first, Ken was skeptical because of his limited sales at the tattoo parlor, but Mark gave him a tour of Artists’ Studios, Art House Gallery, and Art Inc., and Ken became the very first member. Ken recalls, “I found membership with Art Inc. attractive because of the support it offered artists interested in creating a business, being a professional artist, and becoming Kentucky Crafted.”
After nearly a year at Art Inc., Ken would meet his partner, Stephanie Say, a mental health therapist, and 2022 Kentucky Crafted abstract painter. “We dance a lot and laugh a lot,” said Stephanie. “He is incredibly resilient and has been through a lot but still approaches life with joy.”
Ken also met other artists, like Lakshmi Sriraman, a 2018 Kentucky Crafted abstract dot painting artist. Lakshmi recalls meeting Ken for the first time at Art House Gallery, “One day, I walked in and saw one of Ken’s jazz musician paintings and my response to the work was to hear jazz music. The color and vibrancy of the painting pulled me into the joy of a musical moment. I told Mark I had to meet the artist and at that moment Ken walked in, and we met,” said Lakshmi.
“Ken has a passion for art, and it comes through in surprising ways,” said Lakshmi. “One needs to care deeply to bring those elements for them to shine in your work. As an artist, that’s what Ken does – whether horses or jazz– there is movement in his paintings, and he moves you. His art is vibrant, relatable, beautiful, and powerful.”
Not long after joining Art Inc., Ken began pursuing the Kentucky Arts Council’s coveted symbol of artistic excellence, Kentucky Crafted. Artists applying for Kentucky Crafted status create five works to submit with their application, and many artists attempt to become juried into the program several times before succeeding.
Ken recalls, “This process was a lot of work; talk about pressure. Mark’s input was so valuable in this process. I’d be working in the studio late at night and Mark would drop by, saying that he drove by, saw the lights on, and stopped to see how Ken was doing. I was able to ask Mark a lot of questions.”
Ken’s mom was also a source of inspiration for Ken while he pursued becoming Kentucky Crafted. “I would call my mom and tell her what I was working on from time to time, and when she hadn’t heard from me in a bit, she’d call me to ask if I’d finished any more paintings,” said Burney.
After submitting his work, Ken remembers waiting to hear from the Kentucky Arts Council, “There was so much anticipation while I waited. I just wasn’t sure if I was going to get in or not.” When the news finally came, it was good. Ken Burney had been juried into Kentucky Crafted on his first try. His mother had passed away a few months before he got the news, but he remembers sharing the news with Mark Johnson. “I went to the gallery to tell Mark, and I broke down,” said Ken.”
Lakshmi was thrilled about Ken’s achievement, “When I saw Ken’s paintings, I knew they deserved recognition.” “Ken’s art is unique; there was no one else doing work like Ken in Kentucky Crafted.”
After successfully joining Kentucky Crafted, Ken attended the Kentucky Crafted Market and sold most of his work. “It was mind-blowing,” said Burney.
Achieving this recognition brought more work and opportunity for Ken. It wasn’t long before Mayfield City Projects Administrator Justin Carrico hired Ken to paint two 40 ft. x 20 ft. murals for Mayfield’s Dunbar Park in Mayfield, Kentucky.
The site was the previous home of the Mayfield Independent Schools Bus Garage, destroyed in the 2021 tornadoes that struck the area. The city relocated the bus garage, and Justin was tasked with creating a park on the site, which used to be the home of the segregated Dunbar School.
“As a 40-year-old resident of Mayfield, I didn’t know the history of this space and as I thought about this project, I found myself asking, ‘How do we not lose the historical significance of this place?’,” said Justin. “They remind us that our community was once segregated, and I wanted to redeem these four acres and make it a unified space where we all belong together.”
In June 2024, Ken completed the “Orleans style murals” honoring two celebrated Black artists from Mayfield – Helen LaFrance and Ellis Wilson. “Ken did a phenomenal job,” said Justin. “The murals are unbelievable and draw the eye of anyone who passes by, and that was the goal – to draw attention to our history and prompt the question ‘Who is this? Why are they on this building?’
As Ken’s name became well-known, more work came his way. In spring 2024, Lindy Casebier, Secretary of the Kentucky Arts, Heritage, and Tourism Cabinet contacted Ken about creating an image for the 2024 Kentucky Governor’s Derby Celebration Poster. Ken agreed and was thrilled with the theme of Black jockeys that started the Derby. “The theme made it even more special for me to work on,” said Ken.
Ken created an acrylic painting on canvas, which was reproduced for the poster. Ken presented the Governor with the original canvas called “Winners”, depicting Black jockeys racing on horseback. The canvas now hangs in the Governor’s office in the Kentucky State Capitol.
Stephanie remembers attending this event with Ken, “When we walked into the office, the woman at the front desk was so sweet. She got excited when she realized who Ken was,” Stephanie said. “She loved his work so much she designed her home décor around the poster.”
Throughout Ken’s artistic journey, his passion for sharing creativity with his children has remained constant. “It is super important to Ken to share his experience with his children, “said Stephanie. Some of his daughters have been able to come to his events. It has been heartwarming to watch his desire to include them and show them his work.”
Ken’s story, like his art, from a beginner sketch artist to creating “Winners” for a Kentucky Governor, inspires others to persevere in life and find joy in their journey.
As Ken reflects on his youth, he wonders where he would be if he’d had the encouragement he has now when he was young. “People need to be encouraged, empowered, and enlightened,” said Ken.” If there is anything I could tell young men and women, it would be to give themselves worth and open their minds to a bigger world than they may know.”
Ken and his partner Stephanie live at Artists’ Village, a creative community of artists in Lexington.
Ken Burney’s art is for sale at the Art House Kentucky Gallery at 576 East Third Street in Lexington and online at https://www.arthousekentucky.org/ and https://www.artistkenburney.com/.
To join the community of artists at Art Inc. Kentucky, visit https://www.artinckentucky.org/.
To this day, DIA considers itself a classroom and a museum, offering free figure-drawing workshops to teens. To learn more about DIA, visit https://dia.org/.
