The Art Box - Episode 93 - Doreen Kinkade - May 2023 Artist of the Month

Doreen Kinkade

Doreen entered the art world in 1974 when she signed up for adult art education classes at Chaffey College in Ontario, California. Her very talented teacher, Dee Cole, opened Doreen's world. She learned Batik, off-loom weaving, fabric collage, and slab pottery in three short years.

After being transferred to Kentucky, she taught Macrame and off-loom weaving. A year later, they were again moved, this time to Iowa. Doreen became seriously involved in teaching crafts. She had a very successful Christmas Bazaar in her home for nine years. Doreen made fabric Santas, snowmen, and other items. As a team, she and John also made wood items.

In 1991, while her husband was in Desert Storm, she took a class in reed basket weaving from Sue Little at Ankeny High School adult classes. She is now teaching those basket-weaving skills to others and belongs to the Iowa Basket Weaving Guild.

Doreen and John moved to Mesquite in 2003, where she learned of the Virgin Valley Artists' Association at a sidewalk sale held under the "then shed" next to the gallery. Having been acquainted with clay work, she took a class at the VVAA pottery studio on wheel throwing from Kathleen and Harlo Birkholz. Doreen sold her work at the Mesquite Fine Arts Gallery, the Lost City Museum, and the Great Mesquite Chili and Arts Festival. She is an active potter and can be found frequently at the VVAA pottery studio as a volunteer and as an experienced potter.

Around 2008 Doreen became interested in quilting. In 2019 she found a new love in making small Art Quilts using different fabrics and embellishments, thanks to her "wonderful" teacher Margaret Abramshe. She has entered many exhibitions at the Mesquite Fine Arts Gallery and has won many ribbons.

Doreen's favorite thing to do now is teaching Basket-weaving to a great group of ladies three Mondays a month at the Pottery Studio. Each Monday is a different level of weaving. Doreen feels it is gratifying to teach someone who thinks they have no talent and have them walk out with a beautiful, finished basket.

If the name rings a bell, Doreen's husband is a shirt-tail relative of the famous artist Thomas Kinkade.