We were lucky to catch up with Kenneth Yarus recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kenneth , appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

After testing some normal college art programs and touring big studio schools I settled on the less traditional route. Or perhaps the MORE traditional route. I ended up studying in art academies. Unaccredited, unorganized, and small. They nurture along the traditions and practices that brought about some of the most amazing artists in history. They focus heavily on drawing and observation. Practicing hours a day. Four hours of drawing still life in the morning and four hours of drawing sculptures in the afternoon. The goal is a sharpened eye. Reflexes of hand and eye to capture the beauty of the world. I am forever grateful for that time spent sharpening my skills. There is no short cut or fast way to develop like that. However, the academies refuse to focus on business or marketing. As a professional artist I have needed those skills as much as my drawing skills! In a way the academies shunned such subjects with a “you’re not ready yet” excuse. The reality is they never approach the subject and I needed to pursue that information myself.
My opinion and advice is:
Do not count on one school to provide you everything. Stay a student of life and apply yourself. Develop all the skills you will need to succeed.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kenneth Yarus and I am a landscape painter living in Montana. My muse is the mountains. Living thirty minutes from Glacier National Park created a natural love for the place. My journey into the arts started when I was a child. I loved to draw. My parents talk about me needing to draw for 30 minutes before school or I would be a mess. Thankfully they encouraged me! Along with a supportive family I was lucky enough to have mentors and teachers who helped light the way. I found my way in art academies learning traditional drawing and painting that apply to my career today.

I now paint for galleries and collectors throughout the west. Free to follow my inspirations I find myself mostly painting the mountains where I am happiest. Mountains have a way of shrinking us mere mortals. My problems seem smaller and more distant. They harbor beauty and challenge, inviting us into a more present state of being. May it be mosquitos or a windstorm, or a refreshing alpine lake swim, I want to capture and share that with my paintings. Inviting people to share in the healing effects of nature, and motivate them to help protect our wild places. People protect things they love.

I hope my career can be more than pretty pictures but help in conservation of the rocky mountains and beyond.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Being your own boss is a double edged sword. Freedom to pursue your own ambitions and goals, and the risk that what you love may explode in your face. Trying to balance and stay focused through this rollercoaster is a real challenge. One I do not always succeed at. Ultimately though it is one of my favorite things. Making my own schedule, and achieving my own goals feels amazing. Having to ask for time off and wait for coverage was something I loathed from the workforce. Now I am able to stay flexible. If it is crunch time I work hard, sometimes late into the night. If it is a beautiful day I may just drop everything and go paint outside. The freedom is priceless to me.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I am actively still trying to unlearn and work through is about work and money. Being raised from a very hard working blue collar family the lesson has always been that hardwork pays off. In the creative and entrepreneurial world that is not necessarily the case. You can work hard at a bad idea and just wasted your own time and resources. Making a beautiful painting is only part of the process. Without hard work in the other elements my career would have fallen flat long ago. Work smarter not harder is the lesson I try to lean on instead. I try to stay educated and dynamic. I do still work hard on my paintings but I try to balance it out with the other things.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kennethyarus.com
• Instagram: kennethyarus
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kennethyarus
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KennethYarus

Image Credits
Isaiah Winters for headshots