Painter. Born in Auburn, CA on June 19, 1880. Early in his life Hinkle moved with his family to a ranch outside of Sacramento where his father had a carriage painting business. When quite young, he began art studies locally under W. F. Jackson at the Crocker Art Gallery. Hinkle later moved to San Francisco and enrolled at the Mark Hopkins Institute under Arthur Matthews. This was followed by study at the Art Students League in New York City under William Chase and at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He won the Cresson Scholarship for six years at the Académie Colarossi and Ecole des beaux- Arts. While in Paris, he was greatly influenced by the Impressionists and Pointillists.

Upon his return in 1912, Hinkle established a studio in San Francisco and began exhibiting locally. His works were considered quite modern and daring during this period. After moving to Los Angeles in 1917, he accepted a teaching position at the Los Angeles School of Art and Design and became the first art instructor at the newly founded Chouinard School of Art in 1921. While continuing to teach in Los Angeles, Hinkle was a resident of Laguna Beach (a street is named for him there) until his final move in 1935 to a newly built home overlooking the harbor of Santa Barbara. During the 1940s he taught at the Santa Barbara School of Art and was active there until his death on July 20, 1960. His oeuvre includes landscapes, still lifes, portraits and figure paintings.

Member : California Art Club; San Diego Fine Arts Society; Laguna Beach Art Association.

Exhibited : Del Monte Hotel, 1913; California Club, San Francisco, 1914; Panama Pacific Exposition, 1915; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1919, 1921 (prize), 1925 (gold), 1945 (prize); Laguna Beach Art Association, 1926, 1928; Group of Eight, 1927; Pasadena, 1929 (prize), Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1930; Corcoran Gallery, biennials, 1930,1932,1941; Art Institute of Chicago; Golden Gate Exposition, San Francisco, 1939; Carnegie Institute, 1944, 1945; Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1944 (solo); California Art Club, 1944 (prize); Oakland Art Gallery, 1932, 1937 (prize), 1945 (medal).

Works held : Laguna Beach Museum; Los Angeles county Museum of Art; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; Santa Barbara Museum of Art; Oakland Museum; de Young Memorial Museum; Crocker Art Gallery, Encyclopedia Britannica Collection; San Diego Gallery of Fine Arts; Montpelier Museum, VT.

Sources : WW47; WW59; Hughes, Artists in California, 258; Falk, Exhibition Records Series.