We were lucky to catch up with Kimball Willson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kimball, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on as a professional artist started as a challenge to myself more than anything else.

At the time, most of my work focused on traditional commissioned equine portraits. I still love creating those pieces, but I also wanted to push beyond simply painting a horse accurately. I became interested in exploring the energy, movement, and emotional presence of the horse in a more expressive way.

So I started creating larger pieces with heavier texture, layered materials, and a lot more freedom in the process. It felt like a creative risk at first because commissioned work naturally comes with certain expectations, but it ultimately gave me another style option to offer clients and collectors.

One piece in particular became a turning point for me. It was a large-scale horse painting, appropriately named “Breaking Through”, where I focused less on perfect realism and more on power, atmosphere, and emotion. People connected with it immediately, including people outside the horse world. They weren’t just responding to the subject itself, but to the feeling behind it.

That project added another dimension to my business and creative work in a meaningful way. It opened the door to larger original works, hospitality and commercial opportunities, and conversations with collectors and designers who were looking for artwork that felt elevated and emotionally alive.

Those larger expressive pieces were also turned into fine art prints and canvas reproductions, which made the work accessible to more people beyond originals and commissions.

More than anything, that project reminded me that some of the biggest growth happens when you allow yourself to explore beyond what feels safe or expected. I still love creating traditional commissioned portraits, but expanding into this more expressive style added another layer to my work and helped me connect with people in a different way. It reminded me that the pieces that feel the most personal to create are often the ones people connect with the most.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m an equine artist, lifelong horseback rider, and entrepreneur based in San Diego. I create artwork ranging from commissioned horse and pet portraits to large-scale expressive paintings for collectors, hospitality spaces, and interior design projects.

Horses have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up riding in the hunter/jumper world and still ride today, which influences the way I paint. I think riders connect with the authenticity in the details, movement, and emotion within the work.

Before fully committing to painting professionally, I worked in several different industries including corporate marketing, real estate, and functional nutrition. Looking back, those experiences helped me build my art business in a more strategic and creative way.

Today, my business includes original paintings, commissions, fine art prints, live painting experiences, artist residencies, and commercial collaborations. I also own Corporate to Canvas, which provides painting experiences for company team-building events and luxury hospitality properties.

One of the things I’m most proud of is building a business that still feels aligned with who I am creatively. Whether I’m painting a private commission or creating work for a large space, my goal is always to create artwork that feels personal and lasting.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is capturing the expression, energy, and personality of the subject in a way that truly resonates with the owner. There’s something really special about watching someone recognize their horse or dog in a painting, not just physically, but emotionally. That connection is what I’m always trying to create.

I also love knowing that artwork can hold memories and meaning long after a moment has passed. Many of the animals I paint have deeply shaped someone’s life, and it’s rewarding to create something lasting that honors that relationship.

More broadly, I think people are craving things with a real story, craftsmanship, and personal connection behind them. In a world that moves very quickly and often feels increasingly digital, handmade artwork carries a different kind of presence. I think people feel that.

The most rewarding part is seeing the emotion people connect to and knowing the work becomes part of their environment, memories, and everyday life.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think one thing non-creatives may not fully realize is that making the art is only one part of a creative business. A huge amount of time goes into creating opportunities, building relationships, marketing, pitching ideas, planning collaborations, and constantly putting yourself out there. Many artists are running full businesses behind the scenes and need to balance creativity with strategy, adaptability, and resilience.

Many of the opportunities I’ve been most excited about came from taking initiative. Whether it was artist residencies, live painting experiences, solo shows, or business collaborations, a lot of it started with an idea, a proposal, or a conversation.

There’s also a mental side to it that people may not always see. Creative work is personal, so putting your work in front of the world over and over again requires a certain level of resilience and confidence. Not every idea works immediately. Not every opportunity turns into something. But over time, I’ve learned that consistently showing up, staying open to evolving, and creating your own opportunities is often what leads to growth.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kimballwillson.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbykimball/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artbykimball
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimballwillson/