profileken houston

Ken Houston is a Maine man, born and bred. Born in Waterville in 1935, he lived there until his Mom moved to Attleboro, Massachusetts, during the Second World War to help her older daughter whose husband was serving in the war. After the war he returned to Waterville and was educated in Waterville Schools, where he met his wife.

Together they attended Colby College, where he majored in Geology, but even then, leaned more towards writing. He has lived and worked Downeast all his life, except for his military service in Europe. After they married in 1958, Ken was sent to Germany in the United States Air Force, and together they lived there and had two sons before they returned to Waterville in 1962.

A hard worker since teenage years, he has sold shirts and wrist watches; been a log driver, airman, spy and translator; geologist; researcher, gunsmith, newsman, radio announcer and advertising executive; and always, a writer.

He works on a Macintosh now, but says his first word processor was an early Cray: a Crayola, in ‘turkey red’. He likes to write about the wry humor and gritty courage at the heart of the Maine character. He has written many short stories based on these gritty Maine characters in a setting in a fictitious local Newport diner. The stories are filled with their interactions with the people and events in the lives of Down Home Folks in a Maine town such as Newport. In his words he describes his writing as, “I write stories and essays celebrating Maine’s simplicity and common sense, which, it seems to me, is indistinguishable from the wisdom of the ages. “

His output is low, because as the years go by, he finds that he is more and more compulsive about rewriting. “Some days, like Robert Frost, I’m convinced that there’s only one good word for an idea; but am unable to think which one it is,” he says. “I call the condition in myself ‘being Frosted’. ”

His forays into the world of publishing have been scanty. He has had a story published in “Potato Eyes”, and won a writing contest at the Newport Public Library, and helped Tom and Colleen Reynolds of Farmington edit their recent books.

Below are a few of his poems.

softly

 

the barn

Enlarged and mounted in frames, some of his poems have been shown recently at the Valley Arts Alliance Gallery at the Sebasticook Weekly.

In addition to his writing efforts, a good friend supplies him with bent tree roots and branches from which he makes hand-rubbed and finished walking sticks and canes as a hobby. His canes have been shown at Valley Arts Alliance shows. Many relatives and friends have gone home after a visit with a Houston-made cane.

Ken Houston lives on a country road in Newport, Maine, with his wife of forty-nine years, Annette, who is a retired teacher and artist; and a tomcat of independent habits, Micah. He has three grown children, of all of whom he is justifiably proud.

fishin
roses		 sweets

 

 

VAA ad

e-mail: members@valleyartsalliance.org

fall leaves

Current Show: "Fall Into Winter"

Valley Arts Alliance members present
"Fall Into Winter", a seasonal display of watercolors, photographs, fabric art and drawings at the VAA Gallery at the:
Sebasticook Valley Weekly, 66 Main Street Newport, from October 22nd through December 27th.

The show features work representational of a New England fall, the coming of winter, and holiday themes.

Works by Visual Artists Bonnie Ross, Marjorie Whipple, Linda Miller, Connie Henderson, Grace Keown; Fabric Artists Amy Nichols, Alison Olds, Annette Houston: Felt Artist Bob Nichols: Mixed Media artists Priscilla Hoekstra, Shirleyanne Ratajczak: Photographers Suzanne Trussell, Ronda Belgard will be shown.

The public is invited to view the art during normal business hours of the newspaper office, Monday to Friday 9 am to 5 pm.

The Valley Arts Alliance is making plans to update the current
Cultural Directory.
The Directory is a listing of all artists, craftspeople, historical and cultural organizations in all Chamber of Commerce area towns. It was complied three years ago through a grant from the Maine Community Foundation.

Members will be contacting all persons and groups listed and seeking out other new listings to add to the directory. The basic listing is free. However, Valley Arts Alliance members may expand their listing for a small fee to include photos, logos and text.

The Alliance will continue its offerings to the public of arts-related workshops this fall and winter. Information about upcoming workshops will be available on the website and be published to all directory members through email.

Other plans include a fall showing of work by all Valley Arts Alliance members as a continuation of its Open Studio Days; and the featuring of a member on its website and at the VAA Gallery at the offices of the Sebasticook Valley Weekly. Upcoming featured artists for fall include Amy Nichols, Bob Nichols, Alison Olds, Priscilla Hoekstra and Annette Houston, whose work in fabrics and fibers is currently on view at the Gallery; and Ken Houston, who makes canes from bent wood boughs and is a writer of short stories and poetry. Brenda Seekins, editor of the Sebasticook Valley Weekly, writes the profiles of the artists.

bob

"Fun With Fabulous Fabrics and Fibers" was held Saturday, August 18th, at Sebasticook Valley Middle School, on the Williams Road, from 9 AM to 1:30 PM with three choices of workshops.
Fiber Workshop information here


For artists:

The Valley Arts Alliance can provide information, including listings in calendars and more. We also provide special events, networking and partnership opportunities.

Tell us how we can help connect you with audiences. To make a request, or for more information, contact:

members@valleyartsalliance.org.

 

If you are an interested artist and have not yet joined the VAA, there is still time to join and have your name in the lottery to be a featured member. 
See "Becoming a Member" to join now!

See Reactions to Jim Wilfong's Workshop, March, 2007


Want to join the Valley Arts Alliance? Stop by the Chamber of Commerce building for a membership form, contact Annette, call 368-2443,
or see becoming a member.

See the History of the Valley Arts Alliance


VAA MEMBERS page