We recently connected with Kirsten Latimer and have shared our conversation below.

Kirsten , 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?

My parents are incredibly patient people – though they probably won’t admit it. They instilled three big things that have impacted my life and career: 1. Love of learning 2. Deep appreciation of nature 3. Learning to fail forward

I remember admiring my father’s extensive office library and my mother’s collection of beautifully illustrated children’s books. Every book had some insight into the world and that stirred a love of learning. I am continuously diving deeper into subjects of interest; particularly art. Books, courses, videos, conversations, you name it, I’m gobbling it up. I am currently a member of a brand new Art Revenue Coaching course by the incredible Josie Lewis and so inspired! Learning is addictive!

Appreciating nature is what trained my mind and eye for observation in my art career. Growing up, my parents took us on many camping and road trips all over North America. The details of plants and animals, how light interacts with different materials and the raw beauty of it all has certainly influenced how I see our surroundings and what I communicate with my art.

Finally, learning to fail forward has been an imperative lesson from my parents.
“You need to go through this – just try your best and we’ll be here for you after”. Those were the words of my parents as I walked into a piano exam. Not just any piano exam, but one I was terribly unprepared for because it was scheduled three months sooner than anticipated. I begged to get out of it, but am so thankful that my parents didn’t let me quit. They knew I needed to experience failure to get through the other side. I bombed, but learned the sun will indeed rise tomorrow and life will go on. What a tremendous lesson to learn as a business owner and artist! It’s okay to mess up! It’s okay to fail! You will make it through to bigger and better things!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’ve been a creator of things all my life, experimenting with different mediums and crafts, but like many people, experienced a break from life with covid shut downs. I jumped at the opportunity to start honing in some of my artistic skills and niched down to oil paintings, specifically pets, plants and musical play. I use two different techniques at the moment. The first is fine brush, where I can achieve a smooth finish and small details for realistic rendering. The other is palette knife, which has a juicy texture and more expressive. Both offer different challenges and different delights!

People are thrilled when their fur babies can be admired on canvas. I am really proud of having such a happy client base and many repeat customers. There is a great satisfaction in finishing a painting, but when someone else is excited for it, there is an additional excitement. My plant and musical play collections are studio work in between commissions and I am finding a nice balance. I am currently preparing for gallery and interior design collaborations. My work is great for sentimental gifts and décor for homes and offices.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to capture and share the simple beauty and love of plants, pets, and musical play. Pets have the ability to offer comfort and comic relief with their remarkably individual personalities. People have a strong bond with their animals and painting them brings me such joy! Painting plants celebrates the intricacies and growth of nature. Musical instruments possess a beauty of natural materials and craftsmanship. All of these personal interests are how I connect with people and share beauty and love with others.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Tools. I have been on a journey learning about different tools in art and the stigma around using these. I think a lot of people (myself included) have been under the impression that a real artist must only draw from their heads. Or only draw free hand. Or only create in a realistic style. Or only…. whatever you want to fill in the blank with. However, after have multiple conversations with well established artists, I had to unlearn the idea that using tools does not devalue or degrade the work. They are there to help us enjoy and streamline the process so we can focus on other aspects, like artistic style, rather than spending copious amounts of time moving a single landmark back and forth. People are interested in the unique piece the artist brings and that is so much more than the tools they use.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.kirstenkarts.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kirsten.k.arts
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kirstenkarts