Artist Spotlight: Kaitlin Gray
Warm welcome to our latest artist, Kaitlin Gray. Kaitlin resides in Kansas City, MO with her husband and 3 children. Kaitlin and I connected back in 2019 when I just couldn’t stop admiring her work on Instagram. Her bird collection caught my eye and I just knew immediately how fitting for the LP collective. Learn more about Kaitlin in our quick Q&A and I hope you set your alarms for this Wednesday, Feb. 26th at 9 am est. As I know this series will go quick!
1 - Tell us about your day to day?
A typical day for me consists of waking up early and having coffee with my husband. Then hopefully getting some quiet time when he leaves for work and before the kids wake up. I homeschool my children (ages 9, 7 and 4) so we spend the majority of the day doing school work, chores, running errands, going to parks... (you know, very exciting stuff!). After we get all the things on the list done, the kids have down time and I can usually spend some time in the studio painting, answering emails or any other tasks that need to be done.
2- When did you start painting?
As a child I enjoyed all things art. It was by far my favorite subject. Then in my early teen years, I began taking private painting lessons, which I continued for several years. I studied famous paintings and photographs and did master studies of them. My early work would probably be considered realism, but I always admired looser abstracts and impressionism. Occasionally I would attempt one and get frustrated about it. Then about 5 years ago I picked up a sketch book and challenged myself to focus on color and composition rather than the subject. It felt like I started painting with a different part of my brain.
3- Where do you do you find your inspiration?
Honestly, I find it really difficult to NOT be inspired..by everything. I love to study the colors in nature, textiles, home decor, the paint card wall at Home Depot! I especially love seeing colors paired together that almost clash, or "shouldn't" be together. Music also inspires me a ton. It is another art form that I admire and I feel more inspired and paint-ready when I'm listening to something.
4- What artists do you admire and look up to?
Good question! I have admired the works of Teil Duncan for a while now, particularly when I was trying to find the right balance between realism and abstract. And for my most recent collection I studied abstract pieces from Renee Bouchon and Ethan Cook. Some of my favorite Classics are Milton Avery, Paul Klee, and John James Audubon.
5- What is on your night stand at this moment?
At the moment, sitting on my nightstand is a lamp, some silk Hydrangeas and a big ol' stack of books! I enjoy reading mysteries and psychological thrillers.
6- Goals for 2020?!
My New Year's goals are to spend more time reading my Bible, memorize more Scripture, and eat healthier. My husband and I also resolved to eat out less often and cook more at home which so far has been a lot less of a challenge than I anticipated :)
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