About Us
A Kiowa poet once remarked that the American West is a place that has to be seen to be believed, and it may have to be believed in order to be seen. Kenneth M. Freeman had the talent to draw, paint and sculpt the West as he had seen and experienced it. His unique combination of light and depth of color, together with rich cultural heritage, has left us with a body of work that connect with the soul and spirit of the American West. Ken was affectionately called The Rembrandt of the Rodeo by members of the press. The painting technique Ken learned at the American Art Academy interpreted the personalities that characterize our most common perceptions of the West -- the cowboys and cowgirls, Native American elders and children, the Buffalo Soldiers, mountain men, and, of course, the rodeo heroes. As actor Robert Fuller stated, "Ken was a cowboy." For artist Kenneth M. Freeman, the cowboy hat and boots were not a gimmick. Neither was his Arizona attitude. Ken Freeman may have grown up in a traditional Jewish home in Chicago, Illinois but make no mistake … he was a cowboy. There are no short cuts to a fine painting! Kenneth M. Freeman
Quotes
“During the late 1800’s and early 1900s, the Buffalo Soldiers were assigned to the harshest and most desolate posts. The Buffalo Soldiers fought the Indian Wars of the American West and established frontier outposts which have since become towns,” explained Adams. “Ken was an honorary Captain in the 9th Memorial U.S. Calvary Buffalo Soldiers and his paintings and sculptures of the Buffalo Soldiers are compelling works.”
“He was one of the rare people that realized that although in the document authorizing the forming of the all-black regiments, in 1866, stating that the Officers must be white, the all-white officers were just as much Buffalo Soldiers as the troops they commanded,” McCurtis said. “When Ken painted, he brought this spirit out in his subjects. Ken felt a special bond with the story of the Buffalo Soldiers and felt it needed to be told.