We were lucky to catch up with Kendall Green recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kendall, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
Since starting my business, I have been on a mission to capture all things that inspire me to share with the world. My artwork became less about painting for a past-time hobby, and more about what to provide to others. A “service”, if you will. To which I genuinely believe that bright colors, light, and nature bring so much abundance to our lives therefore when I paint with those elements in mind I aim to bring that inspiration and abundance to another.
Recently, I started a new project that was a little more for me. My Great Grandfather was an exceptional painter. He dabbled in many mediums such as acrylic, graphite pencils, and ink. He could accurately portrait planes and dogs like a photograph. My favorite however, were his landscapes.
One in particular stands out to me throughout my entire childhood, I remember it as young as my conscience grew. A wonderful capture of brightly colored and shaded hills of Northern California. My first home, just like the 4 generations before me.
I never thought about duplicating his portrait with my own, but when the idea came to me I knew I had to try. The thing that I’ve learned about being an artist is that as much as it is subjective to those who view it – it is also unique to each person who embarks on an artistic journey. It’s almost impossible to copy another portrait without some flair of personal style making it different, and that’s what I wanted to achieve with copying Papa Henry’s landscape painting. I wanted to see the difference in generational creativity. While working with the sky, I had an epiphany that it is a fact we never see the same sunrise or sunset twice….Leading me to use this portrait as a torch instead; we may be looking at the same hills and in many ways the times may have changed, some things did remain unchanged, such as our shared values in art and family.
I learned a few more things I hadn’t expected before this project. What I discovered that have become immeasurably meaningful to me, were two things- One, suddenly I caught a glimpse of how my Great Grandfather thought creatively- the details he focused on, the colors he used, the process he must have had from start to finish. It made me feel as though the gap of time between us was irrelevant. He was not here physically, but creatively, he never left.
The funny thing is, I did not know my Great Grandfather at all. Our times merely brushed past each other for a moment as I was born and as he died in 1994. However, he is the only great grandparent that I feel is still tied to us, and I believe it is through his paintings that still live on our walls. Something I do not have from the other relatives. This leads to my second discovery – Art carries more than the color and shading that is laid on canvas, but the intricate and exciting creativity of the human mind; Art, for all that it is, is truly timeless.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Kendall Green, I am an Acrylic Painter who focuses primarily on colorful landscapes but have been known to go rogue with inspiration to create something outside of my usualness. Two years ago, I stopped drinking alcohol purely because I was so sick of being hungover. What that led to was a reignition of my creativity in full bloom. I felt like a bursting flower in the middle of April. As a child, I painted, drew, wrote, and read every chance I got. I hadn’t done any of those things in a while as I got swept up in education, a bustling social life and then later, work. In my professional life I pursued Sales- the opposite of picking up a paint brush and seeing where it goes- everything is thought out through numbers and strategy, but honestly after a few years plus a revamp to my energy, I have found that business and art complement each other quite well… of all the creative outlets, painting was by far my favorite-leading me to start Into The Mystic Fine Arts where I offer Original paintings, high quality prints and more recently, pillows with my designs on them for home decor.
There are two things that set ITM apart from others, for one, I am the sole artist behind my print shop and paintings. I am not a big corporation exploiting tons of artists for gain, leading customers disconnected to the artist themselves. I value connection and it shows up in my work through color, light and landscapes; the three elements that I strongly believe have a lasting positive impact on our wellness. Also known as having hits of “small joys” when looking at a portrait, that is my connection.
Secondly, I use acrylic pouring on most of my portraits, which is a technique that mixes pouring medium with paint to create a very runny material that does not mix with other colors but instead flows alongside others to create a very watery, fluid-like texture. I use it to amplify colors on my landscapes primarily in skies and water. To me, beyond aesthetics it represents the art of going with the flow. I never know how the pour will turn out, forcing me to trust the process beyond my control and I love that.
I am most proud of staying true to my creativity. There are millions of talented artists out there, seemingly more every year as social media presences grow, it is hard not to try and compare work. For example, paint pouring is not common on landscapes, which instead of wondering if it is the wrong thing to include, it makes me that much more proud to stand apart from others because I believe in its beauty so much. I want others to view my work as a positive, bright piece in their home as much as a reminder of the testament to stand firmly in whichever light you are under.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is continuing the legacy of human creativity. In a quickly rising world of AI, it remains true as ever that human creative thought and skill cannot be replicated with the same deeply embedded meaning of emotions and experiences. At first, I was worried that AI would take over Art and put us all out of business/motivation, but I’ve discovered the exact opposite to be true. People still crave connection and beauty as much as the artist does and that makes me feel closer to strangers than previously. I find that really beautiful and rewarding to be a part of.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Starting my Business, Into The Mystic Fine Arts, has been a journey in itself. I started out only knowing what I wanted to name my business and that I wanted to paint. In the year that I have been active, I have learned tremendously from other artist and from trial and error. Turns out that most of what make a business successful is simply through a ton testing and tweaking. From testing which audiences you appeal most to, which Ad Creatives do best, even to which post do well, there is no blueprint of copy and paste that will work for each artist – No matter what artist-turned-marketers will tell you. I find that this process is where most Artist fall off, because there is a time where you are painting less and doing business more. The fear of “selling out” enters this space. In order to avoid that feeling, I view business as a creative in itself. Finding what works is similar to finding the best way to connect to others just as we create to connect! If you’re reading this and starting a business, just know that there is no way to avoid the testing era – both business and personally, and to keep pushing through.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://intothemysticfinearts.com/
- Instagram: @intothemysticccart
- Other: Threads: @intothemysticccart
