We were lucky to catch up with Kaylee Maasdam recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kaylee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I have two very supportive parents, each in their own way.

My mom, who went to her eternal home in Heaven last Spring, was my supportive lady. My dad, our working man, supports me still in following my creative pursuits- even if my career path looks entirely different than his.

I started painting at weddings in the summer of 2021. I was fresh from my sophomore year of college and still dipping my toe into the pond of summer work. I think my mom missed watching my high school activities, she insisted on coming to my first live wedding painting. She helped with all of my “dirty” work, washing brushes, setting up, talking to the DJ while I focused on painting, and ensuring I was well-fed.

I booked a few more live paintings that summer, one of which I forgot my paint palette. I called my mom and she rescued me about a half hour later, palette in hand. I think about her every time I’m painting live. Sometimes I’ve forgotten supplies and still wish she could rescue me. I recently forgot a paint palette while painting for an event, and I remembered something she told me before we took her to the hospice home. “Kaylee, stay creative.” It was cheesy, though I’ve still managed to do so. I borrowed a few appetizer plates from the event staff and kept painting.

My mom was endlessly supportive and encouraged me to keep painting and exploring this creative path. She was my prayer warrior, communicating with our Savior what her stubborn daughter could not.

My dad and I are very close, even more so now that I am graduated from college and living at home with him. My dad is my “yes” man. If I need a board cut for a project, he does it without complaint. We have a great time together at home; it has been lovely to be home and grieve the loss of my mom, together.

I think he likes to tell people about what I do for work. When opened a new batch of business cards, he insisted on taking some to work with him. He is the best!

Kaylee, 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?

Hi! I’m Kaylee, owner of Fruited Paint Company.

I have been encouraged to create my whole life. My mom was an art major in college and then a stay-at-home mom, she never stopped my brother and me from digging in the craft closet. I also experienced a wonderful art program at my K-12 school, Lynnville-Sully. My house and community encouraged me to pursue the creative.

I started selling paintings after my senior year of high school. It all started with a softball teammate asking me to paint her Hydroflask; it has snowballed since! I went to college and kept painting, mostly random projects (shoes, planters, more water bottles). When my friends began to get married in the time of TikTok, I was asked to paint for a wedding that was years away from happening. Word got around that I was going to do this, and I started to book wedding paintings!

Now I am working as a semi-full-time artist, living at home (and loving it), and enjoying my life as a business owner! My “big ticket” services are live event paintings, live watercolor portraits, and murals. I also paint an array of paintings from photos (acrylic and watercolor), do some calligraphy, and work digitally to create a variety of offerings.

I enjoy producing a wide variety of art, and this has allowed me to sharpen my skills across multiple mediums while also not getting bored of doing the same thing every day. I see this especially come true in my wedding paintings. There are a lot of talented wedding artists who create incredible wedding art live, and then take it home and perfect it from the studio. I complete my wedding paintings at the venue on the wedding night. This protects me from only creating wedding-related paintings. While I love painting for weddings, I crave variety in my work.

As a Christian artist, I find myself growing closer to my Creator when I am creating. My work allows me to glimpse into people’s lives and give them something meaningful or sometimes, simply beautiful. I hope to exemplify Christ when I create, as a “lowercase c creator.” I find so much joy in making something with my hands, I hope to bring others joy with my work. Even watercolor portraits of client’s dogs are fulfilling to create- I love my work!

Oh! I should explain the name of my business, Fruited Paint Co. It took me a LONG time to find a name for my art business! The name comes from the story in John 12:24, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (NIV). In this context, Jesus is predicting His death on the cross. For man to have a relationship with God, the Son of Man had to die on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice! This theme of something having to die applies in many other areas of life. In my life, I have seen things like other career paths that I considered, my desire to have a “safe” career, or my plan for my life become like “kernels of wheat.” Those things had to die for me to see the FRUIT of the seeds the Lord wanted to plant. I believe God’s hand was over my life when I felt Him saying that maybe art was the right career choice for me. I still believe that the fruits of my labor are a direct result of those kernels of wheat falling to the ground. I love that story and it has stuck with me while I pursue this career as an artist!

I love to create a wide variety of work. People are my favorite to paint, but I won’t bat an eye at painting a pet, a landscape, or most other ideas my clients present to me!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

If there were any resources I wish I had known about earlier on my creative journey, it would be connections with other business owners. I have been very fortunate in my career thus far, especially being from a small community. Connecting with local businesses and their owners has been huge for me, it has kept me busy for more than four years now!

One of the first biggest gigs I had was a multiple-mural commission for a local restaurant, Iowa’s Best Burger Café, or as we fondly call it in Sully, the station. I had painted a large painting for another local restaurant and the owner at the station soon shot me a message. The station is not only an eatery but a gas station right off of I-80 and a campground. I soon got to work that summer painting concrete burgers and other large, fun, outside murals! I was even asked back the next summer to continue to add color to the space. To this day, that job makes me smile every time I get on the interstate.

A lot of my work still stems from business owners talking to one another- word-of-mouth is a powerful tool in my field! I have been so grateful to get to know so many wonderful businesses and communities near me.

If I could start again, I would make those connections sooner. Reach out to businesses I already know and love sooner! Today, I have a list of companies I periodically reach out to if I have an idea for their space.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Being able to put the brush down is not an easy skill to learn. I had to let go of my own expectations for my work; I learned to paint better and faster sooner in the making process. I’ve seen other artists experience similar struggles. One theme I’ve noticed on social media is the “big brush” approach. Artists are focusing on painting a small section with a tiny brush, something isn’t working with the piece. They pick up a bigger brush and the minute details don’t seem so important anymore.

I’ve also had to unlearn how others perceive art. I have been dating an aspiring accountant for four years and quickly learned how different our brains are. The reality is that others aren’t as hard on my work as I am.

In the wedding industry especially, I have learned to find the intersection between what satisfies me and what satisfies the crowd (more specifically, the married couple). When live painting at weddings, it is encouraging to hear strangers tell me that I’m doing a good job. I often comment back that I wish I could visit their job and encourage them in the same way! I am constantly working on putting the brush down when I see that it is good enough, instead of obsessing over every detail. As I continue to practice this, it has become easier to work better and faster, giving me the result in my paintings that I want, sooner.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kayleemaasdam.wixsite.com/artist
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fruitedpaint
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fruitedpaint/

Image Credits
Lauren Elaine Photography Courtney Bicknese Photography