Born in NYC on May 10, 1917. After high school Kester worked for the Fleisher Cartoon Studio in NYC. While vacationing in Los Angeles in 1939, he decided to settle there and took a job with Walt Disney. During the 1940s he quit Disney to devote full time to painting. He was active as an artist until his demise in Los Angeles on Jan. 13, 1997.

Exh: San Diego FA Society, 1941; LACMA, 1941, 1943, 1946 (prizes); Oakland Art Gallery, 1943-46 (prizes); Foundation of Western Art (LA), 1945; AIC, 1945, 1946; LA AA, 1945; Carnegie Inst., 1946; SFMA, 1946; De Young Museum, 1946 (solo); NAD, 1947, 1958 (gold medal); PAFA, 1947; Midtown Gallery (NYC), 1948; Calif. WC Society, 1951; Frye Museum, 1958. In: Mayo Clinic (mural); Brooklyn, Boston, Baltimore and Denver Museums.

Source:

Edan Hughes, "Artists in California, 1786-1940"

Who's Who in American Art 1947-70; Interview with the artist or his/her family.