Venturing Out

As someone who writes stories for a living but whose skill set doesn’t extend much beyond that, I’m insanely jealous of anyone who can write stories and draw pictures to go with them. People like Ken Bowser, damn him. 

I’ve been a fan for a long time, first through Ken’s work as a syndicated cartoonist, then as an author/illustrator who somehow managed to convey whimsy and mayhem in just the right proportion – along with an abiding intelligence and kindheartedness that make his books stand apart.

Now, with “20 to the Fifth Power,” there’s yet another reason for admiring Ken’s work: He speaks to the Florida soul. While so many of us dealt with the grimness of 2020 by hunkering down, Ken chose to venture out—to the beaches and back-roads, the byways and boondocks. He caught Florida on the fly, finding the familiar and elevating it to something else altogether, from sabal palms and sea grapes, beach boardwalks and rusted-out bridges, to old boathouses not yet willing to give up the ghost and purple morning glories finding the will to blossom in a profundity of sand.

Ken’s paintings offer what we need – comfort, a sense of place.

And I am grateful for his talent, damn him.