Clarence Kaiser Hinkle

American (1880-1960)

Biography

Clarence Hinkle was born in Auburn, CA on June 19, 1880. Early in life Hinkle moved with his family to a ranch outside of Sacramento where his father had a carriage painting business. When quite young he began art studies locally under William F. Jackson at the Crocker Art Gallery. Hinkle later moved to San Francisco and enrolled at the Mark Hopkins Institute under Arthur Mathews. He then studied at the ASL in NYC under Wm Chase and at the PAFA where he won the Cresson Scholarship for six years at Académie Colarossi and Ecole des Beaux Arts. While in Paris Clarence Hinkle was greatly influenced by the Impressionists and Pointillists. Upon his return in 1912, he established a studio in San Francisco and began exhibiting locally. Clarence Hinkle’s works were considered avant garde and daring. After moving to Los Angeles in 1917, Hinkle accepted a teaching position at the School of Art & Design and became the first art instructor at the newly founded Chouinard School of Art in 1921. While continuing to teach in Los Angeles, Hinkle was a resident of Laguna Beach (a street is named for him there) until his final move in 1935 to a newly built home overlooking the harbor of Santa Barbara. During the 1940s he taught at the Santa Barbara School of Art and was active there until his death on July 20, 1960. His oeuvre includes landscapes, still lifes, portraits and figure paintings.