Ken Howard was born in London in 1932.


He studied at the Hornsey School of Art from 1949 to 1953. He then completed his national service with the Royal Marines and continued his studies at the Royal College of Art from 1955 to 1958. On a British Council Scholarship, he spent the next year in Florence.


Howard’s first solo show was held at the Plymouth Art Centre in 1955. Subsequent exhibitions were held in 1966 and 1968 at the John Whibley Gallery. From then onwards he exhibited extensively, both nationally and internationally, particularly with the New Crafton Gallery from the early 1970’s.


A major retrospective of his work was organized in 1972 by the Plymouth City Art Gallery. Howard is a master in capturing light so vividly in both oil and watercolour.


In 1973 and 1978 he was the Official War Artist in Northern Ireland appointed by the Imperial War Museum. Between 1973 and 1982 he collaborated with the British Army in Germany, Cyprus, Oman, Hong Kong, Nepal, Norway, Belize and Brunei.


Howard was an elected member of the New English Art Club in 1962, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters in 1966, the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours in 1979, the Royal West of England Academy in 1981, Honorary Member of the Royal Society of British Artists in 1988, Royal Academician in 1991 and president of the New English Art Club in 1998.


Among his numerous awards are First Prize in the Lord Mayor’s Award in 1966, a prize Winner in the John Moores Exhibition, Liverpool in 1978, first prize in the Hunting Group Awards and the Critics Prize at Sparkasse Karlsruhe in 1985.


His work can be found in The Imperial War Museum in London, the Plymouth City Art Gallery and many other public and private collections.