From Global Journeys to Healing Journeys. Two Masterclass Artists You Need to Know. Ken Prescott and Deryk Houston.
Ken Prescott: Collage Crafted from a Life of Exploration
For more than four decades, Ken Prescott has transformed hand-painted papers into vibrant collages that blur the line between painting and sculpture. His medium—layers of colour, texture, pattern, and form—reflects not only artistic mastery but a lifetime of world travel and discovery. Having journeyed across the globe, including scaling Mount Kilimanjaro, Prescott brings a sense of movement and wanderlust to every piece he creates.
His process begins on the studio floor, where sheets of painted paper dry in scattered layers before being cut, arranged, and “assembled” into cohesive compositions. Prescott describes collage as his most spontaneous and joyful form of expression—an art of building, juxtaposing, and allowing materials to guide the final image.
Today, his artwork hangs prominently at YVR Airport’s Dragonpass Premium International Lounge—a fitting location for a man whose art and life have been shaped by the world’s landscapes, cultures, and rhythms. His collages offer travelers a moment of colour, texture, and calm before they embark on their own journeys.
Deryk Houston: Art as Healing, Humanity & Social Reflection
In contrast to Prescott’s global wanderings, Deryk Houston’s artistic path has taken him deep into the heart of human experience—from war-torn streets to peaceful sanctuaries of healing. His work has always carried a message of compassion and social awareness, rooted in a belief that art is a form of communication, connection, and profound emotional recovery.
Houston’s journey is shaped by powerful encounters: the story of Vedran Smailovic, the Cellist of Sarajevo, who played his cello in the ruins of war to honour the lives lost; his own travels to Iraq, where he witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of conflict; and the creation of massive land-art installations and sculptural tributes designed to give voice to the innocent victims of war—especially children.
Among his most significant projects is the Peace Sanctuary in British Columbia, a monumental earthwork shaped into the image of a mother and child, symbolizing universal hope and protection. He continued this mission in Baghdad, creating a towering bronze sculpture embedded with handprints from children affected by cancer and war—an artistic gesture that captures both fragility and resilience.
Through nature, community projects, and dedicated humanitarian outreach—including therapeutic garden initiatives—Houston’s work continually returns to one central idea: that art has the power to help us heal, understand, and connect with one another.
