ken womack

After decades in advertising, Ken Womack knows the power of a memorable image.

Today, the Texas painter and sculptor channels that experience into playful, pointed and often oversized mixed-media works that remix the symbols of American pop culture, inviting viewers to look beyond the familiar.

Artist: Womack, who was born and grew up in Houston, is the son of a bull rider and a ballerina. His mom was Tommy Tune’s ballet instructor and one of his key inspirations, according to a few articles he has read.

“My mom never mentioned the latter part, but I think it’s pretty cool,” said Womack.

Womack took art lessons at an early age, and with his parents’ full support, studied art in college.

He graduated with a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin in 1986 and went into advertising at places like Tracy-Locke in Dallas and the Integer Group in Golden, CO.
Womack later started his own shop in Dallas and has worked in promotions, branding and advertising since then, making art as well.

Art & materials: Large-scale, mixed media works of objects from everyday American life and Texas culture (like Pop Tarts) that evoke nostalgia and pop culture ($5,000 to $50,000).
Materials include plywood, cardboard and other disposable stuff.

“I like to marry those types of materials with kinetics, neon, LED lights and various electronic embellishments,” said Womack.

“A writer said that I was a ‘cultural synthesizer’, which I think makes sense. I create weird alternative takes on what we perceive to be things with meaning. There is always a story or a lesson or a point to the work.”

What’s popular:

Custom mix tapes.

“I created the first one as an ode to high school /college mix tapes, which were a sort of cultural currency back in the day,” said Womack.
Then people started asking him to make custom versions with their playlist.
“I have now done 20 or so of them,” said Womack. “I like ‘em because each one is different, and I can get weird with it. They are fun to make.”

Texas Toast. Womack is working on TT #7 right now and plans to cap the series at 10. The #7 will be added to the GIANT Exhibition at the Museum of the Southwest in Midland, TX, in early August. The original Texas Toast is on display at Park House, a private social club, in Dallas.

Inspirations:

Artists including: Van Gogh, Picasso, Jasper Johns, Arthur James, Andy Warhol, John Singer Sargent.
Sculptor Claes Oldenburg.
Architect and Designer Frank Gehry.

Must haves tools:

Flexible modeling paste from Liquitex. “My wife buys this for me as presents for all occasions,” said Womack.
Long, thin, flat brushes (about 1/4-inch wide) that you get at Michaels craft stores.

Special commissions:

A pink Barbie license plate for the 2025 Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center’s (DCAC) annual art auction. The plate sold for $30,000, and the title sponsor (Labora) bought three more plates for the same price.

“We raised $120,000.00 that night (a new record) for the DCAC, which does the critical work of protecting children.”

A 7.5-foot-tall, 3D-printed hand with five separate plasma tubes of different colors extending from the fingers. The recent commission was for the City Electric Supply’s 75^th

The company sells electrical things, and was founded by a guy with a keen sense of humor, said Womack.

Current exhibition: The GIANT exhibition at the Museum of the Southwest in Midland. The three-month solo show features 27 pieces and runs through Sept. 13.

“It’s my first museum gig,” said Womack, who created nine new pieces for the show. “I wanted to go BIG, because I wanted to see my work displayed as it was intended with plenty of wall space around it.”

Book it: Womack created a 100-page art book entitled “GIANT: The Art of Ken Womack” that captures all of the art in the show. The book is available for purchase on KenWomack.com.

What’s next: The 2026 annual (DCAC) art auction Sept. 12. Womack is creating a piece for it called “The Lightening Bottle.”

The title is based on the idea of “to make something lighter in weight, color or mood.” It will be a large bottle that has inside of it an active plasma lightning display that reacts to touch.

The bottle is two feet tall by eight inches in diameter, and will be secured to a 42-inch base.

Where to buy: Kenwomack.com.

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