'I'll never stop!' Dudley painter given month-long exhibition after rediscovering art passion at 50

Ken started painting when he was a boy but packed it in to 'earn a living' before moving to the Black Country.

It wasn't until decades later when he picked up a paintbrush again and he has since been 'very fortunate' to be able to pursue his dream full-time.

His paintings - which generally have a military theme - form part of a month-long exhibition with the Guild of Waterway Artists, at the Dudley Canal River Trust, which will be free to enter and display his most recent pieces.

The talented painter, from Kingswinford, said he's a fan of canal scenes, the Black Country and military scenes in particular because he feels they are moments in history that should not be forgotten.

When asked if he would ever put the brush down, he said 'never'.

Ken told the Express & Star: "I paint a lot of military stuff, local and historic scenes, I was actually born in Ironbridge but I moved here when I was a kid. I started painting when I was 10 or 11, and then I didn't do any for donkey's years because I needed to earn a living.

"I started again at 50 and then took an early retirement to pursue my dream full-time and I'm very fortunate to be able to say that that's now what I do.

"I'm looking forward to the exhibition, there's a nice cafe if you need something to eat and it's free to enter.

"I paint historical things because I think there are times in history that we need to always remember."

But this isn't the first time Ken has been able to show off his brilliant work - he actually had a weekend-long exhibition in Asterley earlier this month.

He said: "I'll never stop painting, when the time comes I'll join the sky's studio with a brush and palette in hand."