Ken Messinger-Rapport
Advocate for the Environment
Ken grew up in Canton, Ohio and spent much of his youth outdoors. That exposure gave him a deep appreciation for nature, for the beauty of landscapes, and for the play of light and shadow. From an early age he remembers being drawn to color, form, and light so much so that he sought to capture those elements and render them through drawings, paintings, and sculptures in a way that elicits similar feelings of awe and pleasure in others who view his works. As a result of his upbringing in Ohio many of his works illustrate the effects past generations have had on the natural landscape, and the interaction between mankind and nature.
Although Ken studied art and design, technique, and art history in high school and college at the University of Michigan, and after graduation in classes at the Chautauqua Institute and the Cuyahoga Community College, he did not pursue art as a career. Instead he opted to study law, graduating from Case Western Reserve School of Law in 1984. For the first part of his career Ken practiced law in the areas of commercial transactions, tax, estates and trusts and continues to practice in those areas today. Since 2006 he has increasingly devoted his time on a pro bono basis to the area of environmental advocacy. As the Law Director of the Northeast Ohio Gas and Oil Accountability Project, a grassroots organization, he worked for environmentally and socially responsible legislative reform of Ohio's oil and gas statutes and regulations. In addition, he has served on the board and as Treasurer of a local watershed organization, the Friends of Euclid Creek, which advocates for and educates the public on the importance of protecting the Euclid Creek Watershed and the natural landscapes surrounding it that survive and co-exist amidst the challenges of an urban environment.
In 2010 Ken moved beyond drawing to painting in acrylics, relying on photo images he has taken during his travels with his wife Barbara throughout the countrysides of northeastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, southern Ontario, and beyond. Based upon his inspiration from nature and the pleasure taken in observing the mixture of light, space, and form found in the beauty of rural landscapes, his works examine the interaction of man and nature.
As a result of his devotion to art and the environment, Ken has committed to donate a portion of the proceeds from sales to environmental and recreational organizations he has worked with, belonged to, or whose work he and his wife Barbara have benefited from such as, for example: The National Parks Foundation, Rails-to-Trails, the Friends of Euclid Creek, and the Nature Conservancy; or, to any such organization as requested by a purchaser.
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