About the Artists
Every spring, the spell of the desert shimmers up from the arid Southwest. It winds northward across the Great Basin into the Cascade Mountains and whispers Linda Lee Kinman and her son Dusty Kinman’s names. And every spring, the Kinmans forsake the green vistas surrounding their Dexter, OR, homes to heed the call.
The Kinmans load up their 33 foot motor home and hit the road. For a few months, they are desert rats, collecting images of sunlight and wildflowers and desert golf courses. Both are avid golfers and enjoy playing and painting the many beautiful desert courses. Linda Lee has produced paintings and posters which are available thru the studio. She has several different images to offer in Giclee, poster and canvas transfer form.
The Kinmans load up their 33 foot motor home and hit the road. For a few months, they are desert rats, collecting images of sunlight and wildflowers and desert golf courses. Both are avid golfers and enjoy playing and painting the many beautiful desert courses. Linda Lee has produced paintings and posters which are available thru the studio. She has several different images to offer in Giclee, poster and canvas transfer form.
Linda Lee Kinman
Linda Lee specializes in paintings of the Southwest deserts in the springtime when the gorgeous and fragrant arrays of wildflowers can be enjoyed. A closer look at her work reveals the realism Lee has captured by spending the early spring months each year in these areas both painting and researching her subject matter.
A detailed examination of her work reveals that she does not paint with brushes. Linda Lee paints each piece entirely with painting knives. Unlike most knife artists who use a heavy buildup of paint, she uses the smallest amount, resulting in crisp, clear, sunlit paintings. Using a variety of knives that have different shapes, each knife lends its own qualities to the finished work.
Linda Lee has been a featured artist in many magizine articles including Southwest Art, Art West, Wildlife Art, Arizona Now And Yippie Yi Yea Magazine. Among her collectors are Jackie Autry, Gerald McGrady and George Montgomery, whose collection of art at the Palm Springs Museum includes Linda Lee’s piece George purchased from her.
A detailed examination of her work reveals that she does not paint with brushes. Linda Lee paints each piece entirely with painting knives. Unlike most knife artists who use a heavy buildup of paint, she uses the smallest amount, resulting in crisp, clear, sunlit paintings. Using a variety of knives that have different shapes, each knife lends its own qualities to the finished work.
Linda Lee has been a featured artist in many magizine articles including Southwest Art, Art West, Wildlife Art, Arizona Now And Yippie Yi Yea Magazine. Among her collectors are Jackie Autry, Gerald McGrady and George Montgomery, whose collection of art at the Palm Springs Museum includes Linda Lee’s piece George purchased from her.
Kerry Kinman (1946-2008)
Linda Lee’s husband and artist companion for 36 years, passed away on October 4th of 2008. Leaving his son Dusty and Linda Lee to continue on with the adventures in the desert without him. He is sorely missed for his beautiful paintings and his enthusiasm for the desert. He would travel here and fro hunting and photographing for spring flowers. In finding an outcropping he would jump out of the car, run over and stick his nose into the bloom and smell the fragrance and exclaim “WOW!” ‘This smells like my Grandmothers flower garden!” Remnants of desert sun sparkled in the artist’s eyes when he talked about his love for the Sonoran, Mojave and Colorado deserts.
Dusty Kinman - view Dusty's website!
Dusty’s great love for the beauty of the Southwest deserts in the springtime and his ability to capture this incredible time on canvas is generated through life with his parents, Kerry and Linda Lee Kinman. He has been traveling to the southwestern desert each spring for the last 19 years. Dusty says to see and experience the life that a successful artist can have had a big affect on who and what I wanted to become some day.
"Our family was always very close due to the fact that my parents were always right there for me when I needed them the most. Being an artist will allow me to do the same, and maybe pass on this wonderful gift to my children some day. "
Dusty's artwork is shown at art shows throughout the southwest. It is Dusty’s desire to have his paintings convey and preserve the beauty of the desert while in its full, glorious bloom, and to be a constant reminder of the wondrous beauty of God’s creation we all have been given to enjoy.
"Our family was always very close due to the fact that my parents were always right there for me when I needed them the most. Being an artist will allow me to do the same, and maybe pass on this wonderful gift to my children some day. "
Dusty's artwork is shown at art shows throughout the southwest. It is Dusty’s desire to have his paintings convey and preserve the beauty of the desert while in its full, glorious bloom, and to be a constant reminder of the wondrous beauty of God’s creation we all have been given to enjoy.
They have been visiting these desert regions every year since 1983. “Some years the desert literally comes alive with a beautiful and fragrant wildflower explosion! It just depends on the rains. Much of the joy we get from painting is sharing the deserts fleeting beauty with those who may not have the opportunity to see its brief glory. People tend to think of the desert as sand and heat and dead things. But in March and April it’s a totally different story!”
The Kinman’s all paint using only painting knives exclusively. “Many folks can’t believe we don’t use any brushes, They ask about the sky, “Don’t you use a brush for the sky?” To which we always reply ”the only brush work in our paintings is the signature.” Their unique technique of applying paint on to the canvas is atypical of most palette knife painters. Unlike the heavy impasto build up appearance, they endeavor to use very little paint while at the same time achieving a great amount of detail for a crisp and concise application.
The tiny flower petals and fine thorny spines on the cactus might lead viewers to suspect their knives are as small as dental tools. In fact, they use quite large knives that they have fashioned themselves. A large boat-shaped knife with a pointed end about 3 inches long is used the most. “We use this knife for about 90% of the painting. I made it from a large triangular knife. I grind and sand on it until I get the shape and feel we like,” “You can’t buy a knife like this.” They have been visiting these desert regions every year since 1983. “Some years the desert literally comes alive with a beautiful and fragrant wildflower explosion! It just depends on the rains.
Much of the joy we get from painting is sharing the deserts fleeting beauty with those who may not have the opportunity to see its brief glory. People tend to think of the desert as sand and heat and dead things. But in March and April it’s a totally different story!”
Linda Lee has been a full time artist for over 30 years. “It’s taken a lot of work and effort but I know we are so very fortunate to do what we love and be able to make a living at it. It’s developed into a wonderful lifestyle. We’ enjoy our days to the fullest! We know we are blessed when we can spend our summer and fall at home in beautiful Oregon where we've lived in the same place for over 35 years. Then, when the rain never stops, we take off to the Southwest deserts and enjoy the sun, the wildflowers, and the great golf courses there! Not to mention the many friends we’ve made over the years on the road. We can’t wait to go do it all again!”
The Kinman’s all paint using only painting knives exclusively. “Many folks can’t believe we don’t use any brushes, They ask about the sky, “Don’t you use a brush for the sky?” To which we always reply ”the only brush work in our paintings is the signature.” Their unique technique of applying paint on to the canvas is atypical of most palette knife painters. Unlike the heavy impasto build up appearance, they endeavor to use very little paint while at the same time achieving a great amount of detail for a crisp and concise application.
The tiny flower petals and fine thorny spines on the cactus might lead viewers to suspect their knives are as small as dental tools. In fact, they use quite large knives that they have fashioned themselves. A large boat-shaped knife with a pointed end about 3 inches long is used the most. “We use this knife for about 90% of the painting. I made it from a large triangular knife. I grind and sand on it until I get the shape and feel we like,” “You can’t buy a knife like this.” They have been visiting these desert regions every year since 1983. “Some years the desert literally comes alive with a beautiful and fragrant wildflower explosion! It just depends on the rains.
Much of the joy we get from painting is sharing the deserts fleeting beauty with those who may not have the opportunity to see its brief glory. People tend to think of the desert as sand and heat and dead things. But in March and April it’s a totally different story!”
Linda Lee has been a full time artist for over 30 years. “It’s taken a lot of work and effort but I know we are so very fortunate to do what we love and be able to make a living at it. It’s developed into a wonderful lifestyle. We’ enjoy our days to the fullest! We know we are blessed when we can spend our summer and fall at home in beautiful Oregon where we've lived in the same place for over 35 years. Then, when the rain never stops, we take off to the Southwest deserts and enjoy the sun, the wildflowers, and the great golf courses there! Not to mention the many friends we’ve made over the years on the road. We can’t wait to go do it all again!”
