Ken Pridgeon: On a mission to honor the fallen

Any time an 81-year-old takes a nasty fall, visions of broken hips dance in your head.

While Ken Pridgeon managed to dodge that bullet during a recent tumble, his right hand didn’t fare so well. And that is a scary thing for a lifelong painter whose artistic efforts are counted on by hundreds of families of fallen service men and women across the country.

But there’s little that can slow down Ken when it comes to completing his mission of capturing on canvas the stories of all those who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not even eight stitches on his middle finger and swelling in the hand that holds his brush, to say nothing of the bruised ribs, cut to his head and black eye he suffered.

Since starting the project in 2010 at age 75, Ken has painted more than 300 portraits. It began with Texans and has expanded to others across the U.S. who have fallen.

Most of the originals, on 3-by-4 foot canvas, hang in the Portrait of a Warrior Memorial Art Gallery, 308 W. Texas Ave. in Baytown. Ken donates an 18-by-24 inch print to each of the families to help honor their loved ones.

“I didn’t do anything great when I served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. I was just a communications technician. I never considered myself a hero, and most of these guys didn’t think of themselves as heroes, either,” Ken said.

“I had no real connection to them before I started painting their stories. But when you’re sitting there doing it, you cry real tears. When you hand the portrait to that family, it’s the nearest thing to him being there that there is.”

Each of the portraits features the service member, the flag and an eagle. In the background are scenes that represent aspects of the person’s life.

“I consider myself a poor man’s Norman Rockwell. I always loved him. I always wanted to tell stories in my paintings like he did,” Ken said.

He finds out all he can about service members by reading their obituaries, watching their funerals on YouTube, and gleaning information and photographs from the families.

“Each one of them has a different story, which I try to convey in the portraits,” said Ken, who made a career painting billboards in Houston after leaving the military in 1963.

When people ask Ken about his favorite painting, he tells them, “This one right here. The one I’m working on right now is the greatest.”

Because his gallery in Baytown can no longer accommodate all of the portraits, Ken is working with the nearby City of La Porte on plans for a new, expanded facility. It’s one of the things that keeps him motivated to continue his quest.

“It’s a pretty big deal for an old sign painter like me,” he said.

Ken, who will turn 82 in May, plans to keep painting as long as he can hold a brush. Even if his fingers are stitched and his hand is swollen.