by Travers La Ville
The Baytown Sun
Published January 23, 2010
It wasn’t until his 72nd birthday that Ken “The Dauber” Pridgeon decided to pursue his passion for painting when his son, Shawn, asked him to paint a portrait for a friend’s funeral.
Shawn died one year ago but his encouragement spurred “The Dauber’s” talent and led to several commissioned paintings throughout the city, hundreds of portraits and the opening of the Dauber School of Fine Art.
The school at 216 Morrel Avenue opened Monday and has 15 students enrolled. Classes are 3-hour sessions Mondays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Tuesdays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m. He dedicated the school to the memory of son Shawn Edward Pridgeon. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Pridgeon said. “There is no way I would try to teach without his encouragement.”
Eighty-eight people joined “The Dauber” at the school’s grand opening celebration Jan.16. The crowed huddled inside of Pridgeon’s home and were entertained by an art demonstration by the artist and complimentary barbecue. “It was a good time,” Pridgeon said. “I’m glad there was enough barbecue and people showed up in the weather. Students will learn to paint by using the “Dauber System.” The method uses Corel Draw 12, a graphics program, to impose images onto landscapes or scan images, which are then projected onto a canvas for the artist to paint.
Pridgeon walked a long hard road. to became “The Dauber.” While he was in the Air Force, Pridgeon was known for his drawing talents and was often asked to draw for fellow airmen.
In 1956, while stationed in Florida, he took Norman Rockwell’s famous artist class. During the class, Rockwell showed how he used a projector to paint the majority of his work. A fan of Rockwell’s, Pridgeon was disappointed in the artist’s painting method. “I was so mad,” he said. “It took me a week to get one.” After the military, Pridgeon tried to find work as an illustrator for the Houston Post and The Chronicle. “They say they couldn’t use me do to lack of experience,” he said. “I told them I was trying to gain some.” Unable to find work drawing for newspapers, he set his sights a little higher, 65 feet to be exact.
Pridgeon went to work for Eller Advertisement as a billboard painter. Every day he would strap ropes through “falls,” hooks on both shoulders, and battle yellow jackets and pigeons for equal space. “We had to let the yellow jackets sting us,” he said. ” It’s not like we could run away.” The final straw for Pridgeon was when a pigeon flew into his jacket on the job.
“He flew head first into my coat, probably just wanted to borrow my jacket,” he said. “That was the last day I clocked into that job.” After a career in sign painting, he went into business for himself painting the sides of barges and helicopter pads. “Painting barges was good money,” “The Dauber said. “I was the only one dumb enough to do it.” But it was the blotting technique he used to paint helicopter pads that earned him his nickname.
“I was knelt down painting when a woman was trying to figurer out what I was doing,” he said. “I’ve been ‘The Dauber’ ever since.” Now his artwork can be seen at Roosters Steak House, the Baytown Historical Society, City Hall and the Eddie V. Gray Wetlands Center. Two years ago, he was asked to teach a portrait class and become a member at the Baytown Art League. It did not take the artist long to find he could also be passionate about helping others find their creative outlet.
Along with friends Alan Theis and Mike Meyer, he built The Dauber School of Fine Art in only three weeks. The school is equipped with five workstations with computers and was not built with grants or loans. ” We couldn’t afford contractors,” “The Dauber” said. “It was done with hard work money from my own pocket.” He said the road he has traveled was not his intended path but he’s excited about his adventure in art education and being a constant student of his craft.
“All I was trying to do was be a portrait artist,” “The Dauber said. “It’s amazing what you can do in 75 years.”