Kris Killman

Artist Biography: Kris Killman is a self-taught artist painting from his own photographs for 19 years. He has shown his watercolors in California, Memphis and St. Louis as well as regionally. Recently, he has painted murals for the Federal Government, City of Metropolis and private citizens. He is a founding member of the Little Egypt Arts Association and the Artistic Lens Photographic Society. Kris has taught watercolor classes and workshops, and won numerous ribbons and awards. His work is in many private collections as well as state and commercial institutions. He has remained creative for many years and wouldn't have it any other way.



Written by Kris Killman October 2008:

North Western Wisconsin this year is brillant and aglow. My jaw dropped at every end in the road. These shots were taken the second week of October this year. The main reason for me to be in that area at this time of year was to take a watercolor workshop from a brillant master watercolor artist name Nita Engle. She's 83 years old and this was her last workshop. Or so it was said. She said that last year. Any way you slice the cake I witness a great painter working her craft and was left in awe as she used 6 or 7 bush strokes to paint in an entire sky scene on a full size sheet of watercolor paper. She would wet that paper, put in the paint and rotate that board the paper was stapled too and like Emerald Lagase would say "BAAM!" There it was.

There is this line in the sand where most of us mortals reside. The geniues are on the other side. Nita Engle is over there. Isn't it true that all the great ones make it look easy? An effortless swing of the bat and a home run king sends another one out of the park. I witnessed true greatness painting at her last workshop. Her last at bat. She was forgetting more than I'll ever learn. Just that the forgetting was getting more frequent and disrupting her workshop at times.

I was so thankful to have met her and painted with her. From an artist stand point it's like getting to sing with Frank Sinatra at his last concert. You never forget. Nita's gone back to her Yellow Dog river in Michigan where she captured so many of her memorable images. Gone home to finish out the last of her unfinished work and I wish her well.

Kris Killman