KENNETH F. MARTIN

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KENNETH F. MARTIN Released from this life on Friday, December 17, 2010 at the Charleswood Care Centre, Kenneth F. Martin, aged 96. Ken was predeceased by his beloved wife Frances, his brothers Jim and Bill, and his granddaughter Alison Shand. He is survived and mourned by his dear daughters Patricia Shand (Skip) and Joanne Martin (Peter), his granddaughters Fiona Rogers and Shauna Theroux, and his brother Doug. Educated at Isaac Brock, Daniel McIntyre, and the Winnipeg School of Art, Ken became a noted and prolific landscape artist, sensitively recording the seasons of the Manitoba prairie, the Whiteshell, and Northwestern Ontario, but returning constantly to the ever-changing shore of Lake Winnipeg near the cottage he and Fran built in the 1950s at Ponemah. His beautifully meticulous oils, acrylics, and watercolours hang in public and private collections throughout Canada, as well as in the United States and Europe. Ken served as aerial photographer in the RCAF during the Second World War, interrupting his career as a commercial artist. Having earlier apprenticed with Brigden's of Winnipeg in 1938, he rose after the war to the post of Brigden's Art Director before taking early retirement in order to paint full-time. He loved to study the work of other landscape specialists, and his own painting was greatly influenced by the guidance of Lemoine Fitzgerald and the constant example of the Group of Seven. He was never able to pass a Tom Thompson without pausing to examine and admire. A long-time honorary member and past president of the Manitoba Society of Artists, Ken delighted in giving workshops, and in going out on sketching trips with friends like Leo Mol and, in later years, Spence Allison. His talents did not end at the easel. He played a mean game of bridge, and was a popular square-dance caller. Though he had many good friends at Ponemah, he was always especially close to the late Jack Willis, with whom he shared many a chore and many a joke. Ken will be greatly missed by his daughters and their families, and by old friends at Fred Douglas Place. The family wishes to express its gratitude to the staff at the Charleswood Care Centre. To give thanks for the gift of Ken's long life, and to mark his passing, a memorial service will be held at Westworth United Church at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 22. In lieu of flowers, the family invites memorial donations to Westworth United Church, 1750 Grosvenor Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3N 0H9, or to a favourite charity.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 20, 2010