| Kathi Hilton 1939 - |  Kathi featured in Desert Magazine Nov., 1978 |
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Kathi is the daughter of famed desert artist, John W. Hilton. In her home growing up, she knew Jimmy Swinnerton as a regular visiting uncle along with a notable revolving cast familiar to all who know and love California's desert painters. More |
 Kathi, today living in Utah |
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 Kathi and John in their first joint exhibition |
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| Our next Gallery Exhibit, beginning April 17 features John W. Hilton and Kathi Hilton "Generations" |
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 Awakening Spring 20 x 24 |
 "Golden Promise" 15 x 30 |
 Morning Splendor 18 x 24 |
 Valley Splendor 12 x 16 |
 Smoke Tree 18 x 14 |
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 Before the Storm 12 x 16 SOLD |
 Spring's Promise 18 x 24 - SOLD |
 Spring 8 x 10 - SOLD |
 "Eternal Silence"10 x 20 - SOLD |
 "Radiance" -12 x 16 Sold |
 "Spring Dance" - 8 x 10 SOLD |
As a young girl, she spent time in the Northern Mexico town of Alamos as her father explored the plants, animals, and customs of Sonora. Her father wrote about her in his book, Sonora Sketchbook. She shares her father's love of the desert, and her paintings tell the tale that she learned to paint at her father's easel. As an artist, she had several successful exhibitions, and has been featured Desert Magazine and Southwest Art Magazine, and was invited to participate in the Frank Tenney Johnson Memorial Show at the Gene Autry Hotel in Palm Springs. Kathi uses a palette knife, and a technique crafted by her father of mixing fossil wax with oil paints to achieve a texture perspective, giving the finished painting realistic impressions of depth. Her paintings show an exceptional luminosity and often receive adoring comments from gallery visitors. Behind the desk at the visitors center in Death Valley National Park hang a pair of large paintings by John and Kathi Hilton. More below ... |
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Paintings by Kathi Hilton (left) and John W. Hilton (right), Death Valley National Park Visitor's Center |
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Kathy has given us two fantastic tales of her childhood days growing up in the home of John W. Hilton. One of John Hilton's friends was aviator and industrialist, Howard Hughes. Once, Hughes landed his airplane on the highway in front of John's humble gem shop and art studio in Coachella, CA. He brought dinner with him, fresh Maine lobster for little Kathi's birthday. Today, lobster remain's Kathi's favorite dish. Another of John's friends and painting partners was actor James Cagney. Cagney liked to get out of Hollywood and, visit John at his Twentynine Palms ranch and paint. One day as both men were painting, little Kathi joined in. She was frustrated she couldn't paint as well as her father. At one point, Cagney turned to young Kathi and said, "Kathi, don't worry. You don't have to paint like your father, just paint what's in your heart." Of that day, Kathi now says, "That's the day I became an artist." Sources: Conversations with Kathi Hilton, Sonora Sketchbook by John Hilton, 1947; Death Valley Visitor's Center, Furnace Creek, CA., Desert Magazine November 1979 . Back to top of page |
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