JK has been creating images since childhood. Born on Catalina Island, California in 1975, the artist began painting watercolors at a very early age. He studied fine art at San Clemente High School and then traveled to the high desert to gain a Bachelor's of Art degree from The University of Arizona in 1998. Shortly after college, JK walked through the museums of Europe for months to study the works of the Renaissance masters. However, the ocean lifestyle of Southern California brought him back home to begin his professional career.
While the artist continued to take specialized painting courses at Laguna College of Art and Design, he was also working as an apprentice for a professional muralist in Newport Beach. JK began to exhibit paintings at local restaurants and small galleries. The first professional painting the artist sold was at Sol Grill, titled, 'New York City Harbor, 2000'.
In 2002, JK became a founding partner in a commercial gallery on El Camino Real in San Clemente. The studio/gallery provided complete artistic consulting for fine art, decorative painting, and design. JK coordinated other artists' exhibitions and marketed large events. From 2004 to 2006, JK co-created and managed Gallery 104 in San Clemente, a large downtown gallery marketing paintings, sculpture and photography.
The fine art of JK has gained popularity with collectors and garnered appreciation by local media. In 2007, the artist's "Pier Barrel" was featured on the nationally televised 'Fuel TV' in part with a Surfrider Foundation benefit in Laguna Beach. The Orange County Register took notice of the artist in 2008 with two articles discussing new paintings. Summer 2011, the artist was juried into Art-A-Fair as part of the Laguna Beach Summer Festival of Arts. 2012 saw more successful events with two courtyard artist exhibitions in San Clemente in collaboration with Salon Bleu. A three-month exhibit at Gallery 207 in historic downtown Santa Ana showed original paintings and hosted a gallery show the first Saturday of every month.
Currently, JK was just recognized by The State of California for completing a mural on a San Clemente city utility box. The mural is a Spanish design that recognizes the beautiful architecture throughout the city.
