Anyone familiar with his work would agree, folk artist Warren Kimble is a national treasure.
Working from his studio in a converted 19th century barn in Vermont, he paints what he sees out his window -- rolling hills, fat cows, painted barns, sassy cats. Yet, he does it in a way that touches the hearts of people everywhere."It's inspired by Vermont scenes," he said in a telephone interview from his studio in Brandon, "but it seems to have a life of its own. It seems to fit everywhere else. Everyone has cows, trees, barns, simple houses. It seems to tap into something in people's souls."
Which wasn't exactly what he ever intended. He just started painting things that he liked. "Art comes out of the person, so I guess that's me," he says. And the success of his work has been something of a surprise. "It wasn't planned. I used to tell my students, 'Don't expect to be famous; that doesn't happen a lot.' They kid me about that now."
Kimble is considered the country's best-known living folk artist. His whimsical artwork is seen on everything from calendars and cards to wallpaper, cotton throws, dishes and prints. He has recently added a line of furniture, and it will be to introduce that furniture that he will visit Country Furniture & Gifts at Gardner Village in West Jordan on Aug. 7. "It'll be my first trip West," he says. "I'm looking forward to it."
Kimble credits a lot of his success to the fact that he came along at the right time; folk art is tremendously popular these days. "Everybody wants a little serenity, a little peace in their lives. And that's what folk art does. It's soft and easy and simplified. Life is so complicated these days that people want to come home and look at something that's not complicated, that is peaceful."
Folk art has been around since the Middle Ages, where it referred to household arts and decorative traditions of peasant communities -- folks trying to bring little touches of beauty to otherwise drab lives. But the term was not widely used in the United States until the late 19th century, when it began to be recognized as a legitimate field of the arts.
These days it covers a broad spectrum of styles and material, generally falling into traditional and cultural categories, helping us to define who we are. Folk art is often characterized by strong patterns and bright colors.
These highly stylized patterns are central to Kimble's work, but his themes also have a special knack for taking us to places that we want to go -- even if we get there only in our imaginations. Those hills, those barns, those animals speak of a kinder, gentler time, and we want a part of it. Kimble not only takes us there, he also makes sure we enjoy the journey. We need a little serenity, but we also need a little fun, he says.
"We take life so seriously these days; there's so much stress. But we have to smile. When people tell me they look at my paintings and smile, that's the best compliment I can get.
"I think the mood of the country today suits the mood of my art. People are seeking a kind of innocence now, a serenity that counters what is going on in their lives. But on the other hand, I like whimsy. There's no way around it."
If some of Kimble's success has come from good luck and good timing, there has been a lot of hard work, as well.
Born in New Jersey -- he has called himself a blue-collar, nonacademic kid with a gift for art -- he went to school at Syracuse University and then worked with advertising agencies in New York and New Jersey for five years before deciding he didn't want to be a rat in that particular race.
Kimble went back to school and ended up teaching in elementary, junior and senior high schools before moving to Vermont in 1970 to teach at Castleton State College.
His art work didn't begin to catch attention until 1991, when a couple of friends put some pieces on display in a little gallery in Woodstock, Vt. Once discovered, however, it took off like wildfire. By 1993, demand had increased to where Kimble felt he could leave teaching to pursue art full time.
"I've taught all my life. I've painted all my life," says Kimble, now 64. So, of his success, he says, "this is all gravy. No, I guess we're not supposed to eat gravy any more. Maybe icing's a better choice. It's all icing -- on the cake that we're not supposed to eat, either. Well, anyway, it's one of those extra things."
There's nothing stuffy about Kimble. He may be famous, and he may set demanding standards for himself. But it's easy to tell that he is enjoying what he does and that he doesn't take himself all that seriously. Genuinely warm and personable, he invites visitors to drop by his studio any time.
And he is as happy to talk about other things as he is his work. His wife, Lorraine's, garden, for example. "It's absolutely beautiful," he says, noting that a cable TV channel has just been there to film it.
What does she grow? "Oh, all kinds of wonderful Northeastern stuff. I don't know. I love to look at it, but I haven't the slightest idea what's there. She's the birder and the gardener. She does all the work. But it is beautiful."
He and Lorraine also share a passion for antiquing. "That's my obsession, my addiction," he laughs. "I've been in antiques for 30 years."
And he's found a way to combine that passion with his art. His original works are all done on antique wood. "That's the fun of it," he says, "going out to look for the wood."
That combination of textured wood and acrylic paints gives his work a distinctive air. Kimble likes the look, but he likes the feeling even more. "It's like holding history in your hands. These old woods give you a sense of place and feeling. You're holding something that someone else held and cared about. There's such a connection."
And that's one reason, he thinks, that "people seem to connect with my art in the way they do. It's very special."
And that is also one reason why he has agreed to license his work with more than a dozen different companies. Some people criticize that commercialism, but Kimble shrugs off such barbs. "If I do a painting and sell it, it gets buried in someone's house, never to be seen again. This way everyone gets to look at it over and over again."
He is choosy about his licensees, and he does try to keep things affordable -- even his new line of furniture. "I wanted it to be something young people could afford. They might not be able to buy true antiques, but they can enjoy the look, the uncomplicated pleasure."
Working on the furniture line -- a project that's been ongoing for the past two or three years -- has been a ton of fun, he says. They didn't just put his motifs on a line of already-created furniture, he got to actually design new pieces.
"I've had a wonderful time designing. That's been the best part. I worked with a designer from Lexington. I didn't know I could do it, until I realized I've been buying and selling country furniture for years. I knew more than I thought I knew."
And, he says, "it's been quite exciting to combine furniture with art. I just hope it sells," he says, sharing a moment of self-doubt.
Next up for Kimble is a line of lamps, about 40 different designs. And he's working on a line of garden tools and accessories. He has a second line of fabrics coming out. And he's done a children's alphabet that would make a fun book, he says. So, what with the TV taping and everything else, "it's been wild around here."
So wild, in fact, that Kimble took a year off from being Uncle Sam in Brandon's Fourth of July parade. But he is still active in community affairs. He's on the board of the local Chamber of Commerce. And he's been helping establish an artists co-op, a store that will feature 15 artists who live in the area.
"I'm concerned with the community. But I try to do the fun things, not the political ones."
He does feel an obligation to give back to the community. "Those who get need to give. I feel strongly about that."
Spare time is spent at the lake house. And he's learning how to make a hooked rug. "I'm not using a pattern or a design, and I'm either going to love it or hate it. But after I paint all day, I wanted to try something different. I'm becoming a 'hooker,' I guess you'd say."
He also spends time with grandchildren (he has four). So far, he's not been tempted to take up golf. "I watch them all playing golf across the street. It's fun to watch, but I don't think I'll ever try it. Too time-consuming and repetitious. I don't want to get into trouble with golfers. But it's not for me."
What is for Kimble is a deep sense of contentment with who he is and what he does. It's kind of like going down a country road, he says, not sure what you'll find around the next bend but knowing that it's going to be nice.
Or, maybe like going on a treasure hunt.