Jim Killen, award-winning wildlife artist, dies at 89
Jim Killen is pictured in his studio last fall, working on a portrait commissioned by a dog owner. The longtime artist and conservationist died Saturday at his Owatonna home. Staff photo by Joni Hubred
Jim Killen, whose wildlife paintings were featured during the 2023 Governor’s Pheasant Opener in Owatonna, said last fall he had no plan to stop making art.
“I feel my art is a gift of God, and it shouldn’t be wasted,” he said then. “I feel very fortunate.”
The award-winning artist died Saturday morning after a brief illness. He was 89 years old.
A dedicated conservationist, Killen was a three-time Ducks Unlimited “International Artist of the Year.” The group also named him among the “All-Star Artists” for its 75th Anniversary celebration in 2012.
His work has been featured in more than 20 state stamp conservation programs. He was also the only artist to have won the Minnesota stamp competition with works that feature sporting dogs as a partner in game conservation.
Recruited out of college to work for Jostens, Killen worked as an art director in the yearbook division. He started painting landscapes with the theme “Vanishing America” in the 1960s and estimated he had created around 600-700 works over the course of his career.
In recent years, Killen focused his talent on portraits of dogs, commissioned works that he completed in his rural Steele County studio. Paintings of his own beloved hunting dogs hang in the home he shared with Karen, his wife of more than 50 years.
“Karen is very instrumental in the coordination and is a partner in our business,” he said last fall. “We have been working hand in hand since 1972.”
A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 12 p.m. on Saturday, January 13, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Owatonna with visitation two hours prior. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall from 1-3 p.m.