Bio
Dinkel was born September 25, 1957 in New Rochelle, New York and spent his early years in Rye, New York where he became a national champion swimmer. After attending Ithaca College he founded Mr. Goodstrip, a refinishing and painting company. Dinkel claims that his projects helped him develop the soft hands and feel for oil painting. Dinkel recalls viewing the T.V. show of artist Bob Ross and trying his techniques. His first two works were a mess but his third painting "Black Forest" was purchased by his dear friend Paul in 1997. The inspiration for Dinkel to become an artist was on a trip to Maine in the summer of 1998, where he saw artist Val McGann painting a still life in his gallery. The artist speaking to him personally said "After you master your technique, you will know you have it after 100 works." The encounter set the foundation for Dinkel and changed his path in life. The next 10 years were filled with experimentation and honing his skills.
In July, 2008 Kenneth Dinkel's Abstract Paintings made their New York Debut at Berkeley Gallery (East 43rd St between Madison & 5th Ave) thanks to director and curator Bob Keiber. Dinkel received rave reviews and sold three paintings at his opening. Mr. Keiber developed a strong relationship with the artist and invited him back for two more solo exhibitions and a special exhibition for a ribbon cutting ceremony for the New Department of Continuing Education at Berkeley College.
2009 and 2010 were special for Dinkel. In 2009, his painting "Reflections" was chosen by Katrina Van Tassell for the cover of Armonk Magazine (Holiday/Winter Issue). In August 2010, he was also invited to the Contemporary Beijing 13th Annual International Art Expo at The China World Trade Center. In September 2010, Dinkel was personally invited to show at The Great Masters of Tomorrow Contemporary Art Exposition at The Carrousel Du Louvre in Paris, France. "2010 was my most productive year. I created 12 works and sold most of them. The highlight of my art career was in October, 2013." Dinkel had a solo exhibition at the Marjorie and Norman Alexander Gallery (Scarsdale, New York), where six abstract paintings were sold and three commissions were ordered. The artist began to tear up after his 2 hour Artist talk when the group organizer Phylis Kelly said, "they loved you". She also said to Dinkel most of the 18 attending were Holocaust survivors.
2013 - 2017 were years of solo exhibitions and creating new works. In the summer of 2017, Dinkel chose to put his career on hold to take care of his mother Anne, who became severely ill with dementia. October 2019, he managed a successful show at the Friends Gallery in Armonk, NY. After Anne's passing in October 2021, the artist was determined to get back into the art scene. In October 2022 and 2023, Dinkel had two more solo exhibitions at the Friends Gallery.
Dinkel has made artistic donations to schools, libraries, churches, synagogues and to The United Way. His works have been featured, reviewed, and published in magazines including: Gallery & Studio, an international arts journal, Arts Westchester Magazine, Armonk Magazine, and Parish Neighbors (Armonk, Bedford & Chappaqua). Dinkel's paintings are in corporate and private collections world wide including: Lorayne Fiorillo of the Fiorillo Financial Strategies Group (5th Avenue New York), Dan DiSano, CEO of Axis Point Inc. (Madison Avenue New York), CEO Leonard Tannenbaum of Fifth Street Capital (Greenwich, Connecticut), Bernie Williams New York Yankee and Grammy Nominated Musician, Ron Howard 2 Time Academy Award winning Director, and personal friend Jonathan Demme, Academy Award winning Director.