About the book
Ken had such amazing endurance and perseverance for his art, and this book is testament to his prodigious output and faith. It’s a wonderful thing to have collated so many of his works. A great number left his care and went to their own homes — he’d be so grateful that all his ‘friends’ are together again.
— Paul Hawker
‘I like paintings, but you can’t get round the back of them … I like to get round the back, then I can see the whole form, the stance, the attitude.’
Ken Kendall’s deep desire to live by his art took him around the world — through thick and very often thin. For forty years his response to what he saw took form, initially in ceramic and terracotta, then flourishing in bronze, with many sculptures cast by the artist himself. From life-size works to cotton-reel people, Ken’s humour and fundamental understanding of the human condition transformed his materials, and eventually — after years struggling to make a living as a sculptor — brought him artistic recognition and an international following.
Told in his own words, A Bronze Affair is the story of how Ken went from school teacher to Franciscan monk and master sculptor. It takes us into a creative mind, shows how religion sustained the man and where the artist found inspiration.
