Northern Nevada towns and cities have embraced big, bold and beautiful murals and sculptures, and Fernley’s art shines among them. But within the region’s artistic community, some artists specialize in works at the opposite end of the scale: miniatures.
Fernley resident Kenneth Clarke is one of those artists.
Recently, Clarke created several 5-by-7-inch paintings for the Latimer Art Club’s 19th annual statewide miniature show at the Artists Co-op Gallery on Mill Street in Reno. The show, Tiny Treasures, runs through Nov. 7 and features more than 250 works measuring 36 square inches or less.
Clarke is also a member of the Nevada Artists Association and regularly exhibits both small and larger works at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City. His paintings have also been included in shows hosted by the Sierra Arts Foundation.
Painting has not always been Clarke’s full-time occupation. He began painting in high school and later attended an art college in Berkeley, California. But when it came time to support his growing family, he turned to a more practical career.
He chose to explore the then-emerging field of computer science.
For the next two decades, Clarke helped companies such as Blue Cross, Bechtel and Kaiser Permanente manage their growing databases, networks and constantly changing computer hardware needs.
At the forefront of computing operations, he worked with Bill Gates on one of the first local area networks in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was also frequently invited to speak at conferences around the country.
Eventually, Clarke and his wife, Nancy, decided to sell their computer consulting business and leave the Bay Area. They explored retirement possibilities in California, Oregon and Nevada.
During a visit to Fernley for a golf tournament, they looked at houses on the golf course. Although they did not settle on any of those properties, they did settle on Fernley. That was nearly 20 years ago.
During their first decade in Fernley, the Clarkes enjoyed golfing and became involved in a variety of community organizations and activities. Clarke continued occasional computer consulting, but painting remained on the back burner.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic.
Confined to quarters, along with everyone else, Clarke looked around for something to do. A friend from their golf group was selling all of her painting supplies. Clarke decided it was time to pick up a brush and return to painting, just as he had done as a teenager.
“It took at least 12 paintings for me to start to feel any confidence,” Clarke recalled. He also enrolled in online courses through the Arizona Art Academy and studied with an artist in Australia.
As the pandemic continued, Clarke experimented with different styles, techniques and subjects.
“I always liked landscapes. There’s lots of room for personal expression,” he said.
He is particularly fond of the desert. When traveling through Nevada and the Southwest, Clarke takes photographs of the landscape, building a collection of images that inspire his paintings.
Sometimes, his inspiration comes from other people’s experiences. One of his most popular works, featuring a donkey, was inspired by friends visiting Beatty, Nevada. While there, they were photographing and feeding wild donkeys when one of the animals stuck its large head through their vehicle window.
Clarke turned the photograph into a painting that makes most people smile.
“It was the fastest I ever sold,” he said. “It was in the gallery less than one day.”
Prints and coffee mugs featuring the painting have also proved popular.
Another of Clarke’s paintings, Hope – The Caldor Fire, was inspired by a photograph taken on a friend’s property of a lone pine tree struggling to survive among the ashes of the Caldor Fire.
Clarke eventually produced 10 copies of the heartwarming image and presented one to each of the 10 fire departments that fought the blaze, including Lyon County fire departments.
Through his paintings, small and large, Clarke has found a way to share the beauty of the Nevada landscape and recognize the people who help protect it.
His work can be viewed through the Nevada Artists Association website at nevadaartists.org.
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