Ken Yarus was brought up in Kalispell Montana, where he first dreamed of being a painter. He found mentors in the local art world; Steve and Nancy Cawdrey encouraged his growth as did Greg Call, Susan Guthrie and Rusti Warner. He pursued his passion through high school and earned several awards including a Gold Key from the Scholastic Art Awards, 2nd place in the Montana “Paint the State” anti-meth contest, and The John and Anne Taylor Scholarship. With this scholarship Ken was able to continue his studies at the Ashland Academy of Art in Ashland, OR, where he learned the fundamentals of drawing under Russian Master Semyon Bilmes. When the school moved to Maui, Ken moved to New York City’s Grand Central Academy. While attending the Academy he studied under modern masters Jacob Collins, Edward Minoff, Josh LaRock, and Scott Waddell. New York City taught many lessons, and a longing for the wilderness was one. Ken returned to the mountains of Montana to paint plein air and large landscapes, aiming to capture the immensity and value of the mountains.