Ray Kinsman-Waters
Birth Date: July 21, 1887
Death Date: January 2, 1962
Artist Gallery
Born on July 21, 1887 in Columbus, Ohio, Ray Kinsman-Waters was one of Ohio's most prominent Post-Impressionist painters, decorators, and teachers, during a time when American Impressionism was highly underrated. He attended the Columbus Art School from 1908-1909, and went on to teach in Columbus for many years. He taught from 1929-1956 at the Columbus Academy, spent nearly every Saturday during the 1930's and 1940's teaching at the Columbus Art School, and occasionally taught at the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts. Prior to his teaching career, he spent some time travelling. He visited St. Aigneau, France from 1918-1919 with the U.S. Army, and to Le Mans, France as a Y.M.C.A. Hat Secretary. He was actively involved in several art organizations, including the Columbus Art League, the New York Water Color Club, and the Ohio Water Color Society. He participated in several solo exhibitions in Ohio, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia, and received prestigious awards during his lifetime, such as the First Prize Award for watercolor at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1925. Other awards include one from the National Arts Club in New York in 1916, and the Robert F. Wolfe Water Color Prize from the Columbus Art League in both 1923 and 1925. Known for his regional Post-Impressionism and modernism, Kinsman-Waters' work can be best identified by his pure, vivid colors and expressive brushstrokes that characterize his work. The inspiration for many of his painting techniques and subjects trace back to his mentor and teacher, Alice Schille, who taught him at the Columbus Art School, and became a close friend of his throughout his life. Many of Kinsman-Waters' paintings can be categorized into figure and genre paintings (mostly watercolor), often of the landscape surrounding Columbus, and the leisure activities attributed to these landscapes. Iconographies such as these were markers of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods, which made Kinsman-Waters one of the most notable artists of these periods from Ohio. His small, but expressive brushstrokes are reminiscent of more famous artists like Monet, who Kinsman-Waters was likely inspired by. Ray Kinsman-Waters died on January 2, 1962 in Columbus, Ohio.