Ken Kraner was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 13, 1948. His father Eber J. Kraner was a buyer for the Killian's Company. His mother Kay held a B.A. Degree in French at Cornell. Ken's older brother John was an Eagle Scout and businessman. Ken attended grade school in Marion, Iowa until his family moved to Costa Mesa, California. At his California high school Ken was outgoing and popular, studied art, and was elected class president. Ken was an avid surfer and spent much time on the Pacific Ocean beaches. In 1966 after his father's death, he and his mother moved back to Cedar Rapids, where Ken entered Washington High School as a senior. Ken played classical bass in the WHS orchestra, as well as Jazz bass in local venues. Ken idolized Jazz greats Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and especially the legendary and doomed bassist Scott LaFaro. Ken was an exceptionally talented visual artist, with a wide knowledge of art and art history. By high school he had developed a distinctive and advanced semi-abstract painting and drawing style. His portraiture was especially evocative. He exhibited, and sometimes sold his work locally, including at the Cedar Rapids Art Center, and in a one-man show at Washington High School. Ken read widely in philosophy and biography, and enjoyed literature of all kinds. He studied and debated the latest New York art reviews of Clement Greenberg and Barbara Rose. In 1967 Ken and another Cedar Rapids artist friend set up a small painting studio in an attic. There Ken prepared some of the artworks he would use to gain acceptance and a full scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken entered the Freshman Foundation program at that school in 1967, but suffered a severe mental health episode, a psychotic break, which caused him to drop out of school and be hospitalized. Ken was diagnosed as Chronic Paranoid Schizophrenic, a progressive mental illness. Later he returned to Kansas City, and with the personal help of KCAI painting professor, Lester Goldman, attempted to re enter college as a sophmore painting major. In Kansas City he rarely completed a painting. Yet those who knew him all agreed that Ken Kraner was one of the hippest guys around. Ken met his future wife Madeline, a ceramics major at the school, and in 1969 they were married in a ceremony held in the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Community Christian Church, officiated by Philosophy Professor Raymond B. Bragg. Ken took a factory job and dropped out of college for good. Later he and his wife moved to a farmhouse in a scenic rural area near Garrison, Iowa. Ken held various agricultural jobs while he and Madeline continued their art work. They raised a son, Yarrow Jackson Kraner, who is now an artist in Montana. Ken and Madeline divorced in late 1973. Madeline remarried. During the 1980's Ken met a professional artist in Minneapolis, Minnesota who became his friend and patron, providing room and board and art supplies in exchange for Ken's finished paintings. Inevitably, Ken's schizophrenia progressed and he began living at the Abbe Center For Mental Health in Marion, Iowa, where he died of lung cancer on May 25, 2006. ..."Catch ya' later, man!"
I love reading Dennis's biography of Ken. Thanks for that, Dennis.
I met Ken in art class senior year. Ken was such a presence in that class, distinguished by his ability primarily, but also because he dared to do things none of the rest of us even thought of doing. He would come in each morning and set up a record player and would put on jazz and set up a big easel and start in on whatever painting project he had going. This was done regardless of what the rest of us in class were doing as part of our class projects or assignments. He was in his own world and did as he pleased. I was in awe of his talent and inspired completely by his passion -- in fact, I think I determined I would never be the artist I hoped to be because in him I saw the embodiment of raw and disciplined talent, passionate devotion and dedication, single-mindedness and drive. He was the real deal.
Years later Ken hooked up with a small artists' community that surrounded the ceramics workshops of an old family friend, Clary Illian. Ken would show his work in their periodic art shows and I had the privilege of seeing his work at that point, but never saw Ken again, which is a big disappointment. I still keep a sketch he made of me at age 17 in that class, and everytime I re-discover it and unroll it I am reminded of his talent, his vision, his passion, and the girl I was at that age. He captured it. What a treasure. Here's to you, Ken.
Dennis K. Dochterman
Ken Kraner was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 13, 1948. His father Eber J. Kraner was a buyer for the Killian's Company. His mother Kay held a B.A. Degree in French at Cornell. Ken's older brother John was an Eagle Scout and businessman. Ken attended grade school in Marion, Iowa until his family moved to Costa Mesa, California. At his California high school Ken was outgoing and popular, studied art, and was elected class president. Ken was an avid surfer and spent much time on the Pacific Ocean beaches. In 1966 after his father's death, he and his mother moved back to Cedar Rapids, where Ken entered Washington High School as a senior. Ken played classical bass in the WHS orchestra, as well as Jazz bass in local venues. Ken idolized Jazz greats Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and especially the legendary and doomed bassist Scott LaFaro. Ken was an exceptionally talented visual artist, with a wide knowledge of art and art history. By high school he had developed a distinctive and advanced semi-abstract painting and drawing style. His portraiture was especially evocative. He exhibited, and sometimes sold his work locally, including at the Cedar Rapids Art Center, and in a one-man show at Washington High School. Ken read widely in philosophy and biography, and enjoyed literature of all kinds. He studied and debated the latest New York art reviews of Clement Greenberg and Barbara Rose. In 1967 Ken and another Cedar Rapids artist friend set up a small painting studio in an attic. There Ken prepared some of the artworks he would use to gain acceptance and a full scholarship to the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. Ken entered the Freshman Foundation program at that school in 1967, but suffered a severe mental health episode, a psychotic break, which caused him to drop out of school and be hospitalized. Ken was diagnosed as Chronic Paranoid Schizophrenic, a progressive mental illness. Later he returned to Kansas City, and with the personal help of KCAI painting professor, Lester Goldman, attempted to re enter college as a sophmore painting major. In Kansas City he rarely completed a painting. Yet those who knew him all agreed that Ken Kraner was one of the hippest guys around. Ken met his future wife Madeline, a ceramics major at the school, and in 1969 they were married in a ceremony held in the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Community Christian Church, officiated by Philosophy Professor Raymond B. Bragg. Ken took a factory job and dropped out of college for good. Later he and his wife moved to a farmhouse in a scenic rural area near Garrison, Iowa. Ken held various agricultural jobs while he and Madeline continued their art work. They raised a son, Yarrow Jackson Kraner, who is now an artist in Montana. Ken and Madeline divorced in late 1973. Madeline remarried. During the 1980's Ken met a professional artist in Minneapolis, Minnesota who became his friend and patron, providing room and board and art supplies in exchange for Ken's finished paintings. Inevitably, Ken's schizophrenia progressed and he began living at the Abbe Center For Mental Health in Marion, Iowa, where he died of lung cancer on May 25, 2006. ..."Catch ya' later, man!"
Deborah Nye (Nye)
I love reading Dennis's biography of Ken. Thanks for that, Dennis.
I met Ken in art class senior year. Ken was such a presence in that class, distinguished by his ability primarily, but also because he dared to do things none of the rest of us even thought of doing. He would come in each morning and set up a record player and would put on jazz and set up a big easel and start in on whatever painting project he had going. This was done regardless of what the rest of us in class were doing as part of our class projects or assignments. He was in his own world and did as he pleased. I was in awe of his talent and inspired completely by his passion -- in fact, I think I determined I would never be the artist I hoped to be because in him I saw the embodiment of raw and disciplined talent, passionate devotion and dedication, single-mindedness and drive. He was the real deal.
Years later Ken hooked up with a small artists' community that surrounded the ceramics workshops of an old family friend, Clary Illian. Ken would show his work in their periodic art shows and I had the privilege of seeing his work at that point, but never saw Ken again, which is a big disappointment. I still keep a sketch he made of me at age 17 in that class, and everytime I re-discover it and unroll it I am reminded of his talent, his vision, his passion, and the girl I was at that age. He captured it. What a treasure. Here's to you, Ken.
Dennis K. Dochterman
Nan Hirleman (Aalborg)
Thank you Dennis and Debbie for letting me know more about Ken. I remember his face, but that's all. I would have loved to know him.