His work is informed largely by his childhood in Winterhaven, California, and life in the small town on the Mexican border.
He "has been known for years as a painter of “American Life”, making large and narrative paintings that feature rural tableaux, economically marginalized people, overlooked and often beautiful details of the natural world and cultural debris.
"[7] "Like many today, he learned to draw from comic books, video games, and illustrations on cereal boxes.
"[9] He has held solo exhibitions at the Watari Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo, Deitch Projects, Art Rock at Rockefeller Center and The Hole in New York, Studio Raffaelli in Trento, Dio Horia in Mykonos, Loyal Gallery in Stockholm, Galerie Zurcher in Paris and Annet Gelink in Amsterdam.
[10][11][12][13][14][15] "In 2015, McKimens was commissioned by the Republic of San Marino to paint a portrait of their founding patron, Saint Marinus"[16] He was commissioned by the National Audubon Society to paint a mural for the Audubon Mural Project in Harlem, New York.