Kenneth O. Goehring (January 8, 1919 - June 27, 2007) was an abstract expressionist painter, who was born in Evansville, WI and lived most of his life in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He signed his artwork Ken Goehring. His parents were Walter Goehring and Ruth (Rossman) Goehring of Wisconsin.
Goehring received his initial art training at the Meinzinger School of Applied Art in Detroit, MI. He served four years in the army during World War II. On December 1, 1945 he married Margretta M. MacNicol, and the couple moved from Detroit to Colorado Springs, Colorado where Ken studied art at the Colorado Springs Fine Art Center from 1947 to 1950, beginning a 59 year residence in Colorado Springs, and a distinguished career as a painter. There he studied with Jean Charlot and Emerson Woelffer. In 1957 he taught at Denver University. An Abstract Expressionist, he developed a unique, nonobjective style clearly rooted in the landscapes and native cultures of the American West, producing works of art noted for their elegance, rich colors, fine finish and pervading air of mystery. Ken's paintings have appeared in over 100 exhibitions in 17 states, including 17 one man shows, among them the Corcoran in Washington,D.C., the De Young Museum in San Francisco, Stanford University, the La Jolla Art Center, and the Denver Art Museum. In 1977 he won the Ranger Award at the American Academy of Design in New York City. His works are represented in many public and private art collections across the country, including the Smithsonian's American Artist Collection, and he is listed in Who's Who in America. Ken read widely, had a fine singing voice and liked classical music. The Pikes Peak Historical Society Museum (Florissant Schoolhouse Museum) in Florissant, CO features a collection of over 50 miniature historic buildings by Goehring.[1]
This information compiled from my mother and Kenneth O. Goehring's first cousin Joan M. (Goehring) Reynolds -->
The following obituary of Ken Goehring from the Colorado Springs Gazette was written by a close friend.
June 27, 2007 Ken was born on January 8, 1919 to Walter A. and Ruth I. (Rossman) Goehring. He completed high school in Detroit, Michigan and served four years in the army during World War II. Returning to Detroit, he married Margretta M. MacNicol on December 1, 1945. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Colorado Springs where Ken studied art at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center from 1947 to 1950, beginning a 59 year residency in the city and a distinguished career as a painter. An Abstract Expressionist, he developed a unique, nonobjective style clearly rooted in the landscapes and native cultures of the American West, producing works of art noted for their elegance, rich colors, fine finish and pervading air of mystery. Ken's paintings have appeared in over 100 exhibitions in 17 states, including 17 one man shows, among them the Corcoran in Washington,D.C., the De Young Museum in San Francisco, Stanford University, the La Jolla Art Center, and the Denver Art Museum. In 1977 he won the Ranger Award at the American Academy of Design in New York City. His works are represented in many public and private art collections across the country, including the Smithsonian's American Artist Collection, and he is listed in Who's Who in America. Ken read widely, had a fine singing voice and liked classical music, car trips through the west and visiting with friends. He is survived by his wife Margretta, sister-in-law Isabella Thomas, cousins Beverly Sullivan and Phil Ashby, niece Rita Allerding, and other relatives and friends.
NOTE: The "other relatives" includes niece Rita Allerding's two brothers, Paul and Gary, all children of Ken's only sibling Marise (Goehring) Allerding.