An artist, television show host and widely recognized online celebrity, California-based American painter John Kilduff is known for his distinctive style, which can be described as a merge of Impressionism and Pop art. His paintings offer a lighthearted and relatable look at contemporary life, and feature everything from beach hats and sneakers to soup cans and beer bottles.
In 1987, Kilduff earned his BFA from the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. He also studied comedy at The Groundlings Theatre & School and the Los Angeles City College, in addition to getting his MFA from UCLA in 2008.
Kilduff came into the spotlight in 2001 when he began hosting a cable-access television show called Let's Paint TV, calling himself "Mr. Let's Paint." The show's live episodes typically involve Kilduff painting while he performs other activities, like playing ping pong, running on a treadmill or cooking. In 2006, he began uploading clips of the show to YouTube, which garnered worldwide attention. The series is now broadcast online.
Kilduff has made numerous other television appearances over the years, including the Tyra Banks Show, where he painted Banks’s portrait live. In 2006, he painted David Hasselhoff on the red carpet of the VH1 Big Awards and also appeared on season two of America's Got Talent.
Ever the entertainer, Kilduff frequently holds in-person painting shows. In 2016, a show called "Bakery" at the Daniel Rolnik Gallery in Santa Monica was designed to mimic the look of a small pastry shop and, as Kilduff created paintings of a range of sweet treats for the event, it earned comparisons to the works of sculptor Claes Oldenburg and Wayne Thiebaud.
Kilduff lives and works in Los Angeles.
On 1stDibs, find original John Kilduff oil paintings, watercolor works and more.
Ox-Bow wood's number 2, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air watercolor of the woods at Ox-Bow in Saugatuck, MI. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Re...
Watercolor
Malibu rocks #1, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air watercolor of the Sea at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu, California. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signe...
Watercolor
Red Still life #1, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of red objects that I found laying around in my studio. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authent...
Oil
Blue Still Life, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of blue objects. Oil on canvas. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the art...
Oil
Parking lot, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Large painting of a parking lot here in Los Angeles, California. Spray paint, acrylic and oil on canvas. :: Painting :: Fine Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of a...
Acrylic
Car crashes into palm tree, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting based on a police chase that turned deadly as the driver smashed into a palm tree. I got the image from the TV news report. I painted over an older canvas so there's extra a...
Oil
End of police pursuit, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Large oil painting of a image I captured from the television of a police chase. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the ...
Oil
Garage at night, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air oil painting of my garage at night. :: Painting :: Americana :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: No :: S...
Oil
BBQ Grill, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air oil painting of a BBQ grill at night. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the a...
Oil
Backyard garden, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air oil painting of the cactus garden in the backyard. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Rea...
Oil
White still life, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of white objects. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: No :: Signed: Yes ::...
Oil
Leo Carrillo State Beach, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Large acrylic painting done in the studio based on a plein air watercolor of Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu, California. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an ...
Acrylic
Downtown Los Angeles, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Painted this while running on a treadmill and playing music during my internet streaming show Let's Paint TV. Painting was also painted upside-down. You can watch the video on Youtub...
Oil
Chips at the beach, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Painted this bag of chips while running on the treadmill playing music during my internet streaming show Let's Paint TV. You can watch the show here: /watch?v=FD9aV2yRgWw :: Painti...
Oil
Van Nuys Blvd, Painting, Acrylic on Wood Panel
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Large acrylic painting of driving down Van Nuys Blvd in Los Angeles. I rearview mirror was attached to the wood frame. :: Painting :: Street Art :: This piece comes with an official ...
Acrylic
Cactus plants #2, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air watercolor of the cactus plants in the backyard. I did two watercolors at the same time. The other one is listed too. It's titled "Cactus plants...
Watercolor
cactus plants #1, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air watercolor of the cactus plants in the backyard. I did two watercolors at the same time. The other one is listed too. It's titled "Cactus plants...
Watercolor
cactus plants oil #1, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air oil painting of the cactus plants in the backyard. I also painted on another painting at the same time (cactus plants oil #2) which is also list...
Oil
cactus plants oil #2, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air oil painting of the cactus plants in the backyard. I also painted on another painting at the same time (cactus plants oil #1) which is also list...
Oil
Lemon Tree in quarentine, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air oil painting of the lemon tree in the backyard. :: Painting :: Fine Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to H...
Oil
Lemon tree in the backyard, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I have been painting this lemon tree in the backyard a lot during the quarantine. Spray paint, acrylic and oil on Canvas. If you look at the left window, you can see my portrait. :: ...
Oil
Palm perspective number 4, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Based on the rows of palm trees that are all over Los Angeles. Oil, spray paint and acrylic on Canvas. :: Painting :: Contemporary :: This piece comes with an official certificate of...
Acrylic
Palm Perspective #5, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I always liked seeing the palm trees going into the horizon and thought it would be interesting to capture that feeling on a triangle shaped canvas. :: Painting :: Impressionist ::...
Oil
Birds of Paradise, Painting, Acrylic on Other
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air acrylic painting on cardboard of the bird of paradise in the backyard. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed ...
Acrylic
Supermarket checkout, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Acrylic painting of the checkout line at Jons Supermarket in Los Angeles. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the ...
Acrylic
Venice Beach Hats, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
From memory of a Venice Beach boardwalk vendor selling hats. Acrylic and Spray paint used along with oil paints. :: Painting :: Contemporary :: This piece comes with an official cert...
Oil
Lazy Susan spice rack, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of my spice rack. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready to Hang: No :: Signed: Yes ::...
Oil
Palm Perspective number 2, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I always liked seeing the palm trees going into the horizon and thought it would be interesting to capture that feeling on a triangle shaped canvas. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This pi...
Oil
Fig tree in quarantine, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air oil painting (with some spray paint) of the Fig tree in the backyard during quarantine. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an off...
Oil
Beef Stew, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of a can of beef stew. Watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140 lb watercolor paper. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity s...
Watercolor
Coke Bottle, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of an old Coke bottle. Watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140 lb watercolor paper. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an offici...
Watercolor
Hills Bros Coffee, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of an old can of coffee. Watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140 lb watercolor paper. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity...
Watercolor
Bacardi Bottle, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of a bottle of Bacardi. Watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140 lb watercolor paper. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity ...
Watercolor
Olive tree in the backyard, Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air acrylic painting of the olive tree in the backyard. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Re...
Acrylic
Under the Olive tree number 2, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Painting of the olive tree in the backyard. Spray paint, acrylic and oil on canvas. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity sign...
Oil
Hollyhock, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I have been experimenting the last few years using spray paint, acrylic and oils on the canvas. I painted this en plein air in my backyard. :: Painting :: Contemporary :: This piec...
Oil
Still life of a jar of pickles, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I painted this jar of pickles live during my livestreaming show Let's Paint TV. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed ...
Oil
Hollyhocks on blue, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Spray paint, acrylic and oil on canvas. Painted in my backyard. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the artist :: Ready ...
Oil
Still life of a jar of pickles #3, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I painted this jar of pickles live during my livestreaming show Let's Paint TV :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by...
Oil
Still life of a jar of pickles #2, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I painted this jar of pickles live during my livestreaming show Let's Paint TV. Spray paint, acrylic and oils on Canvas :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official ce...
Oil
Tulips in a vase, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Painted these tulips that where in the dining room. I used spray paint, acrylic and oils on the painting. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificat...
Oil
Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Painted in my studio based off of a plein air oil painting I did of this location ( Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California). Spray paint, Acrylic and Oils on Canvas. :: Painting ::...
Oil
Hollyhock Plein Air #2, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air painting of a hollyhock flower in my backyard. I did another painting of the same hollyhock (Hollyhock #1) at the same time and made a video of the process. Here's the vide...
Oil
3rd and Traction, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was painted on location (plein air) from a building in the Los Angeles Arts District, overlooking 3rd and Traction Streets. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece ...
Oil
Engine No.3025, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was painted on location (plein air) at Travel Town in Griffith Park,Los Angeles, California. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece com...
Oil
Spring Street, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was painted on location (plein air) on Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles. THe building is just south of 7th Street on Spring St. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: T...
Oil
5th and Grand, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was painted on location (plein air) in Downtown Los Angeles on the corner of 5th and Grand. It is full of rich, thick, bold, colorful brushstrokes. :: Painting :: Conte...
Oil
8th & Broadway, Los Angeles, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was painted on location at the corner of 8th & Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles, California. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certific...
Oil
New York Skyline from Jersey City, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Painted on location (plein air) from Jersey City overlooking the Hudson River and New York. Painted on two sheets of Arches 140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper. :: Painting :: Impre...
Watercolor
NYC Subway #3, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I did a number of sketches while riding the subways in New York this summer (2016). This painting is based on one of these sketches. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece come...
Oil
Farmers and Merchants Bank, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air painting of the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Downtown Los Angeles. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by ...
Oil
Mulholland Drive #2, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was painted entirely on location (en plein air) on Mulholland Drive in Malibu, California. The painting is full of bold brushstrokes! Si...
Oil
8th and Broadway, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Painted on location (plein air) on the corner of 8th and Broadway in Downtown Los Angeles. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece co...
Oil
On Broadway, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was painted on location (plein air) on Broadway Street in Downtown los Angeles. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece...
Oil
Orphium Theater, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
This painting was painted on location (p[lein air) in front of the Orphium theater in Downtown Los Angeles. :: Painting :: Impressionist...
Oil
Crossing the street, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
I did this painting in the studio while running on a treadmill. I have used the treadmill over the years in my performances and also in my studio paintings. What I like about running...
Oil
Miracle Whip, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of a jar of Miracle Whip. Watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140 lb watercolor paper. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticit...
Watercolor
Zuma Beach #2, Painting, Oil on Canvas
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Plein air oil painting of beachgoers on Zuma Beach in Malibu, California. :: Painting :: Impressionist :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity signed by the ...
Oil
Bacardi Bottle, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of a bottle of Bacardi. Watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140 lb watercolor paper. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity ...
Watercolor
Hills Bros Coffee, Painting, Watercolor on Watercolor Paper
By John Kilduff
Located in Yardley, PA
Still life of an old can of coffee. Watercolor on Arches cold pressed 140 lb watercolor paper. :: Painting :: Pop-Art :: This piece comes with an official certificate of authenticity...
Watercolor