We recently had the chance to connect with Kevin Inman and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kevin, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Figure drawing.
After about a year of planning, I recently brought a figure drawing group to the San Diego Museum of Art, inspired by my deep love of figure drawing. It was a fantastic opportunity to connect with the museum’s collection and share the experience of drawing from life in such a rich, art-filled environment. Since many of San Diego’s figure drawing groups went dark in recent years, I am very happy that we have this one. You can join us by searching the Museum’s events calendar for dates.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Kevin Inman is a San Diego-based artist whose work examines the human imprint on the landscape. Through plein air oil painting, he documents the evolving relationship between built and natural environments, often working on location and at an intimate scale.
His paintings explore the complexities of the California terrain, from its rugged coastlines to the sprawl of urban development. Influenced by the Venetian painting tradition and 20th-century abstraction, Inman blends classical sensibilities with modern perspectives.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
When I was 20, I went to Spain to study at a university. The system was incredibly bureaucratic, and I was young and clueless. To get course materials, you had to visit a special fotocopiadora desk that operated on bizarre hours. When I asked for my materials, the woman at the desk insisted she didn’t have them.
Confused, I returned to the university office to double-check. They assured me—emphatically—that she did. So I went back, this time with a group of other foreign students. Like penguins huddled at the edge of an ice sheet, we nudged the meanest, bossiest one among us to the front. She confronted the desk woman, who finally relented and handed over the materials—for all of us.
It was my first real lesson in collective action.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Never let your retainer out of your sight, especially not at beach week.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My cats
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
The deeper you dive into learning and understanding, the more you realize how much remains undiscovered. No matter how far you’ve gone, new insights will always emerge—reshaping what you thought you knew. Art, culture, and history resist simple narratives. Even though I know a great deal about the world of painting and its history, there’s always more to explore. Each generation of artists and historians brings fresh perspectives, challenging and enriching our understanding.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kevininman.com
- Instagram: inman.kevin
