We recently connected with Katherine Chiu and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Katherine thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

It’s hard to pick just one, so I will pick three! The first that comes to mind is my portrait of the Borman Family. One of the things I love about painting portraits is getting to meet families and learn their story. The Bormans have three lovely children, and their youngest, Ari, was born with epilepsy and uses a wheelchair. We talked about what they would like depicted, and they wanted the portrait to capture Ari as they see him, not necessarily how the world sees him—the wheelchair would just be an unnecessary distraction. They wanted the painting to be a bit playful, an homage to classic old timey portraits, but with a tongue-in-cheek flair instead of the typical stuffiness. The family got dressed up in their finest garb and struck a classic pose. I took the formality of a traditional living room and infused it with their whimsy, and even included their family emblem, a polar bear. The painting was truly was a blend of reality and fantasy, and was a delight to work on.

Another project I loved was a portrait I did for the wedding of my good friends Selina and Bryan. Selina wanted me to imagine them together as children with their favorite toys. It was so fun depicting them in white, surrounded by their wedding flowers, holding stuffed animals of Garfield and Hobbes. They displayed the painting at the entrance to their fairytale reception.

Lastly, I had the incredible honor to paint former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen’s cats! She adores her cats and often posed with them during her presidency. My dad traveled to Taiwan and, as the Chairman of the North American Taiwanese Medical Association, presented the painting to her as a gift.

Katherine, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I paint commissioned portraits of families and pets. The paintings are a meaningful way to commemorate a time in your life, and also make a great gift. If the family is local, I like to meet the family and do a photoshoot of them (but if they live somewhere else, I work off of reference photos they provide). I take lots of photos and compile them into a personalized painting, adding mementos that are important to the family, such as a kid’s toy or plants from the garden. I try to capture the spirit of the day and a narrative of who the family is. Lately, I’ve been revisiting families ten years later and it’s fun to see how they have grown and see what has changed and what has stayed the same.

Portraits have been around for centuries and I think it’s a fun way to personalize art and make it more accessible. Collecting art can be intimidating, but seeing a glimpse of yourself or loved ones in a painting becomes personal, taking on a new meaning.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

There’s a lot of setup involved in painting and being an artist requires you to work even when you aren’t inspired. The most rewarding part is getting in a state of flow while painting. Time melts away, and the strokes of paint start coming together and looking like what I imagined in my head—or they surprise me and come alive in a different, sometimes better way! I work long hours for that spark!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was working as a designer for over 11 years and really felt like I was going down the wrong path. I wanted to paint full-time, and it is incredibly hard to keep motivated and paint every day when you get home from work. It was scary to quit and commit to art full-time since the path seemed so uncertain. I remember a teacher told me that if you don’t pursue your dreams, they will continue to haunt you. I felt that way and knew I had to go for it. With the encouragement of my boyfriend (now husband), I quit my design job and devoted my time to painting commissions and for galleries and art fairs. I found that the uncertainty this path brings is something I can live with much more easily than the nagging feeling that I’m not doing what I’m meant to do. That being said, I don’t regret my time as a designer because it taught me how to work well with clients and run a business.

I’m also currently in another pivotal moment, raising two small children who are demanding most of my time and energy! I’m finding ways to be more efficient with my time and work in shorter spurts.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.katherinechiu.com
• Instagram: kchiuart
• Other: Shop

  www.kchiuart.com

Image Credits

All artwork by Katherine Chiu
Photo by Greg Wadsworth