Beloved artist Ken Hoffman died Aug. 18, 2025. For decades, while nurturing young art students, showing them how to excel and persevere, he carried the burden of cancer. Yet, he didn’t allow it to prevent him from showing up every day to live his life with enthusiasm and to give his energy to others. Keeping the well full was the secret, and he was an expert at it.

I was surprised to learn that daily fishing also filled his well. Thanks to his father, an avid hunter and fisherman, Ken caught the fishing bug in his youth. It was usually a solitary activity, until he met Ralph and Robin along the Illinois River. They became fast friends, going on fishing adventures all around central Illinois. I often wondered what led him to painting animals in human clothes and I thought this could be part of the answer.

KEN HOFFMAN
1938-2025

Ken was best known for creating anthropomorphic animal portraits, always smartly dressed in suits with ties that were a collaged element.

The scale of these 2-D works varied widely from very small, 5- x 7-inch paintings to enormous multi-canvas creations that could measure as high as 10 feet and as wide as 22. Despite this variance, he could maintain the same signature style at any size, a feat most artists are unable to achieve. Creating paintings on multiple canvases enabled him to more easily move and store them. When I first exhibited his work for a solo exhibit at Contemporary Art Center (CAC) in 2007, he showed me how such multi-canvas works bolted together, a method I later used.

The medium of collage was always present, and at times he produced images of only collaged elements. The apex of his collage work was evident in an exhibit at Bradley University in 2024. These were free in form and color, like his playful ceramic work. With ceramic creation, he tapped into something even more childlike that I imagined was the ying to his painter-self yang.

Always colorful, humorous with a bold, boy-energy approach, Ken’s artmaking drew a person closer. One also experienced this on a personal level. Ken drew you in and made you feel comfortable in his presence. He and I loved to talk silly to each other in funny voices, trying to crack each other up. When we were together, we could be kids again, pretending and playing together; a scene he orchestrated.

Ken was originally from Texas, served in the Navy and after attending classes at some schools, graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute. During the tumultuous 1960s, Ken latched onto expressionism as an artistic vehicle. In 1969, he came to Peoria where he thrived as a prolific artist and was a fixture in the city’s art scene while he enjoyed teaching at Bradley University for 43 years. Huge supporters of the arts, he and his spouse, Barbara Hoffman, were often in attendance at art receptions. During the pandemic, their constant and significant donations to CAC were a blessing.

When I stood at his bedside in his last hours to say my tearful goodbye to him even though he was unconscious, I was surprised to learn from Barbara that Ken was adamant about not having a celebration of life. But I knew many would wish to gather and reminisce about this jolly character. So, after Barbara gave me permission, I decided to launch an exhibit from borrowed artwork. Such an exhibit would give us all the opportunity to collaborate, gather and express how much he and his artwork meant to so many; a visual expression of how many lives he touched.

“Celebrating Ken Hoffman,” on display Jan. 2-Feb. 13 at Contemporary Art Center, officially begins during “First Friday January” with Barbara Hoffman speaking and sharing about some of the work on display.

We invite those who admired Ken and his work to attend and remember this great man, professor, artist and fisherman; a life well-lived. Besides daytime viewing (11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday), other evening viewing opportunities include the art reception at 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, and 5-9 p.m. “First Friday February.”

— Artist William Butler is Executive Director at Contemporary Art Center of Peoria.