Artist Christy Kinard

If a Southerner talks music, weaving symphonies of vibrant wordplay, I would like to think that I paint similar, creating rich compositions with impressions of Southern life. The abundant flowers and unique cultural traditions of the South sing through me, into my hands and onto the materials that shape my visual song. I attempt to capture the joyful, layered character of the South, working from both childhood memories and life.Flowers are the main subjects of my work, which reflects the bounty of colorful plant life both outside and in the homes of the South. In keeping with Southern tradition, there was almost always a fresh bouquet of flowers on the table of my childhood home. The frequent presence of flowers made a lasting impression so much so that the floral still life would become the central focus of my work. The boldness of my work can also be related to the Southern character. Beyond the well kept exterior and femininity of a Southern woman, like my work, the women of the South can be strong, creative and playful. I first started painting at a very early age, I was always creating something at the kitchen table making sculptures out of colored homemade play dough, I loved playing with spin art and water colors. I use to put food coloring in my lemonade to sell at my lemonade stand. I loved playing with color. I knew at a young age I would be an artist the path had chosen me I can not imagine doing anything else. In high school I had more paintbrushes in my back pack then pencils. I was awarded to attend governors honors program in high school,  I was also rewarded a scholarship to SCAD and then went on to attend Atlanta College of art. I sold my first paintings at age 18 to IBM a huge milestone for me. I also had the opportunity to live and paint in England for four years I had my own studio and worked with other international artist. I was exposed to many museums and gallerys. The Tate Modern and Saatchi Gallery were some of my favorites I would visit them frequently. And although the work there was edgy It helped me loosen up my own work. I started going to fabric stores and wonderful paper shops and it was there that I started really layering my work with these materials. I am grateful everyday that I have the oppurtunity to get up each morning and paint and have been able to make it a full time career.