Ken Zier is today regarded as one of the most important artist on the modern Marine art scene, with many collectors all over the world. He was born in 1968 in the Danish town of Aarhus. Since his childhood he and his family have been closely connected to the sea and maritime environments. As the grandchild of the Marine Painter Wolmer Zier and with a distinct talent for painting, very early Ken felt a desire to continue the tradition of realistic marine painting. For generations his family has been keen yachtsmen and pen and paper was always part of the baggage on the summer journeys. That has resulted in a number of fine pen drawings. In time oil painting took over and his main emphasis became ship portraits. As Zier refined his technique the ships have gradually faded into the background and now only appear as small objects on the horizon. It is the air, the sea and the atmosphere in the surroundings that are important.

 

Sentiments that have left an indelible picture on the mind of the artist when he has participated in, or followed various regattas.In recent years Zier has painted large impressive paintings, typical seascapes and a small series of meteorological studies on the weather's effect on the sky and the sea. A rather unique type of work is the big night paintings that have caught much attention. These paintings portray various seaside towns at dusk or lit up by the moon. In Ziers works you will often find a technique that combines the flat with more textured painting. In this way he achieves a sort of impressionistic realism that gives his painting a unique expression. 

 

Zier has been involved in many commissioned projects like in 2007 where he produced 6 paintings inspired by the FARR 40 regatta in Skagen, Denmark. 

 

Another recent project in 2012-13 that caught much attention was the “One Man One Beach” project funded by the National Thrust in Denmark. Over a period of one Year Ken Zier did one painting a week from the same spot on a beach in the National Park of Mols Bjerge. 

 

Ken Zier has been a professional artist since 1995 with extensive exhibitions in Europe and USA.