K.L. McKenna, born in 1956 in Berkeley, California, is renowned for her "New West" expressionism, where she uniquely captures the landscapes of the American West through vibrant color harmonies. Inspired by childhood summers spent prospecting for fossils in Wyoming with her paleontologist father, her paintings reflect a deep spiritual connection to the geology of Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, and Montana. A graduate of Pratt Institute with a Master's in Industrial Design, McKenna has extensive experience in exhibition design and graphical user interface design, even earning a U.S. Patent for an educational toy design.
McKenna's work has been widely exhibited, including a significant showing at the Booth Western Art Museum in Georgia, where one of her pieces is part of the permanent collection. She has participated in notable auctions such as the "Expanded Horizons" at the Yellowstone Art Museum and the "Annual Buffalo Bill Cody Show and Sale." Currently residing in both Upstate New York and Colorado, McKenna is also active in the arts community as President of the Arts Society of Kingston, which she co-founded, and as a Board of Trustees member at Pratt Institute.
