In observance of the Kelley House Museum’s current exhibition, “Paint the Town: The Art of Kevin Milligan,” we reprint here an excerpt from his, Mendocino: A Painted Pictorial. The book features many of his paintings along with history of the subject in each one. Copies of the book are available for purchase at the Kelley House Museum.
When I was a child my mother Jacquelyn Milligan encouraged me to draw whenever I had a spare moment. I observed my father Guy Milligan paint, and his paintings showed me how to see composition in nature. Wilbur Niewald provided exceptional painting and drawing instruction while I studied at the Kansas City Art Institute. His lessons centered on how to perceive color in nature. His training on working with oils has been instrumental in my development as a painter.
In June of 1997, I made my first trip to Mendocino. Situated on a tiny peninsula jutting into the Pacific Ocean, it is bounded by Agate Cove to the north and Big River flowing into Mendocino Bay on the South. The land is nearly flat where the headlands drop into the sea. The bluffs reveal coves, natural bridges, sea caves and secluded beaches—each with different aspects depending on the height of the tide and waves. During the winter months, fierce storms batter the cliffs while 20-foot waves thunder into the caves beneath. The terrain gradually rises into the hills as one moves east. Beautiful panoramas open up from the higher elevations: rooftops of quaint New England-style buildings, iconic water towers, and beyond them the ocean. The setting was suited to my art.
A building, a water tower, and the ocean, by Kevin Milligan
After making numerous paintings of Mendocino (more than 80 in two years), it became apparent that they could serve as a pictorial documentation of the place. Structures built in the 19th century were still standing on the threshold of the 21st-first, but most of them were showing signs of age. Many wooden water towers were leaning, houses had holes in their roofs and walls, and all needed major repair. My paintings of the weathered buildings could document the old look before restoration took place.
To do research on each structure, I was introduced to the Kelley House Museum archives. I am eternally grateful to Mendocino Historical Research, Inc.—especially to the [former] museum directors, first Majorie Eseppi and then Charlie West—for providing invaluable assistance and access to important documents. My work could not have been completed without MHR, Inc., which continues to serve anyone interested in the history and genealogy of the region. I wish Dorothy Bayer and Beth Stebbins were still around so I could thank them personally for beginning the organized collection and preservation of Mendocino’s history.
“Paint the Town: The Art of Kevin Milligan” will be on display at the Kelley House Museum from May 30 – September 30, 2024. The Kelley House Museum is open from 11AM to 3PM Thursday through Monday. Walking Tours of Mendocino are available throughout the week. Visit the Kelley House Event Calendar for a Walking Tour schedule.