William "Bill" Kincaid (born 1957, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

) was known nationally in the entertainment trade as a costume designer until 1990, and is also known as an artist creating pet paintings in brilliant colors on large canvases.

Education

Kincaid attended art class at the

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

during the early 1980s, although not as an art major.

Employment

After graduating from Washington University, he painted miscellaneous portraits of people, occasional copies of classic paintings, and abstracts in his spare time. He focused on pets after he painted a friend's Boston Terrier. Kincaid's first employment in an art field was in 1974, working as a custom motorcycle artist at "Buzz's Psycles" of Chamblee, Georgia. He painted restorations of classic British bikes such as the Bonnevilles and

Trophies A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

built in the middle and late 1960s by Triumph Motorcycles and did customization work. He left Georgia in 1977.

Influences

He has listed as major influences 1960s psychedelia,

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

and Pop Art;

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

Peter Max Peter Max (born Peter Max Finkelstein, October 19, 1937) is a German-American artist known for using bright colors in his work. Works by Max are associated with the visual arts and culture of the 1960s, particularly psychedelic art and pop art. ...

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (; ; ; 11 May 190423 January 1989) was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarr ...

, and other less-known genre artists. Although the medium, acrylics on canvas, has been consistent throughout his painting career, his painting style has varied throughout a limited body of work.

Activities

From 1977 through 1989, he made thousands of costumes, also drawing and painting costume designs and various commercial graphics projects, in partnership with his brother

Doug Kincaid Douglas Doerr Kincaid (born 1962) is an American artist, writer, and performer, best known for his work in the fields of puppetry and promotional costuming (mascot costumes). Early influences, education, and career From an early age, Kincaid ...

. Bill Kincaid often participated in every step from the initial drawings, patterns and materials selection through the final cutting and assembly. During his active years with The Kincaid Karacter Company, he was instrumental in the design, development, and creation of many iconic mascot characters for some of the world's best known organizations, including "BUDMAN" & "Spuds MCKENZIE" for Anheuser-Busch (AB-InBev), "FredBird" for The St. Louis Cardinals, "Little Caesar" for Little Caesar's Pizza, and "Elroy Elk", the National Drug Awareness Program mascot for The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (ELKS Association). He also designed & created hundreds of other popular mascots for Ralston Purina, Six Flags, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, M-TV, Hostess Cakes, and The United States Postal Service, as well as designing & creating the character of "Grouchie Gator" (star of the CBS children's show "

Gator Tales {{unsourced, date=February 2022 ''Gator Tales'' was a local children's television show produced in St. Louis, Missouri by local CBS affiliate KMOV. The show aired on Saturdays and Sundays in key states throughout the Midwest from 1988 to 1999, inclu ...

"), plus many other memorabl
"Kincaid Karacter"
puppets. His non-costume & puppet related projects included props for numerous TV commercials, promotions, and industrial films, as well as board games, coloring books, and logos. From 1981 to 1999, Kincaid also created puppets, scenery and props for CBS children's television shows '' D. B.'s Delight'' and ''

'', plus rendered & constructed remodels of sets for Six Flags attractions. William specializes in painting dogs, cats and other pets in his distinctive style. William is semi-retired and paints occasionally, always on commission, and chooses his commissions selectively. He has supported animal protection groups as well as organizations which advocate equal rights, freedoms and protections for LGBTQIA+ people, the poor, the sick, the elderly, and refugees. He lives in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

. Kincaid also writes essays on cultural and historical topics, such a
"Really Remembering the Alamo"
He has also self-published a successful book of short fiction under a pseudonym.

References

* '' St. Louis Post Dispatch'', January 7, 1983, "Almost Live! Dodo is rare bird indeed" – biographical article on William Kincaid * ''

St. Louis Globe-Democrat The ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat'' was originally a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1852 until 1986. When the trademark registration on the name expired, it was then used as an unrelated free historically themed paper. Orig ...

'', July 5, 1999, "Talented brothers are creators..." – article on Bill and Doug Kincaid * ''

St. Louis Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

'', September 12, 1988, "Those Guys at Kincaid are really Characters" – biographical article on William Kincaid and The Kincaid Karacter Company * ''St. Louis Post Dispatch'', March 20, 1989, "Kids Learning Responsibility With 'Gator' Aid" – article on Bill Kincaid and ''Gator Tales'' television show * ''

Inc._(magazine) ''Inc.'' is an American business magazine founded in 1979 and based in New York City. The magazine publishes six issues per year, along with surrounding online and social media content. The magazine also produces several live and virtual events y ...

'', September 10, 2018, "Meet the Company Behind Thousands of America's Favorite Mascots"- article on William Kincaid, Doug Kincaid, and The Kincaid Karacter Company

External links

The Pet Portraits of William Kincaid

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kincaid, William 1957 births Living people Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts alumni Painters from Kentucky 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century male artists