We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kirsten Walker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kirsten below.
Kirsten, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
When I was in first grade, I remember going to the Art closet in my elementary school with the (traveling) Art teacher and seeing shelf upon shelf of art materials. I knew right then I wanted to be an Art teacher. I still remember the smell, it was a mix of crayon, modeling clay and the wintergreen smell of white paste. Each year I learned more and more about art with the help of amazing Art teachers in my public school system. I remember getting my first easel one Christmas when I was 8 years old, the kind with the roll of paper attached and a row of tempera paints in plastic pots. Sadly, my mother never saved those first masterpieces.
I put myself through college and received a BS in Art Education. I’d done it! I landed my first teaching job one week after graduating and within 2 semesters I realized I was merely a glorified babysitter for those the administrators had no idea what to do with. During college I’d gotten married and when I received an offer from a former employer to manage his gift shop and be a buyer and I could still use my artistic skills and earn more money (I had a student loan to pay off) I took it and quit teaching. Another reason was when my budget was cut, and I was given #2 pencils and copy paper to teach layout and design it was a no brainer that teaching at that school was not working out.
Quitting teaching didn’t mean I quit doing art. I just did it in a different form. I always thought that when our youngest child (I had 4 in 8 years) went to school full time I’d start looking for an Art job again. When that time came around, I knew that I could not “do it all” and be “super woman” and have a fulltime job and nurture a large family so I did the next best thing. I volunteered in the art room at the school they were in. I took part time jobs doing after school art classes. I landed a freelance writing job with a local paper (that’s another story) and continued to pursue many arts and crafts and got paid to do some creative work in those areas.
I finally took a painting class through our local arts commission as I realized that I’d been put off learning more for a long time. When the instructor saw my work and commented, “Why haven’t you been painting for so many years, you have talent?” I answered simply, “Four little interruptions.” He laughed and moved on to the next student. And you know what? That’s okay. I have never regretted being a “stay at home” mom. There are no do overs in that line of “work”. You get one chance and then they’re grown. My children were never obstacles, they were more like learning platforms where I reinvented myself as they grew.
I think being adaptable or flexible in each decade or chapter of my life has been one of the most essential skills at least for me. I morphed my love or Art, nature and literature into a lifetime of learning how they all interconnect and getting paid in the process. I am an Artist, a Writer, a Nature educator, a Maple Syrup Maker, a Freelance Writer, a Teacher and now even a grandmother. I’ve never stopped learning and am eager to see what this coming year holds for me.
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.
After raising 4 children and finding a bit more time to create art, I started painting again though I still do many crafts as the spirit moves me, I have tried to focus on my painting more and more since the Covid pandemic forced me to slow down my outside community activities. It’s amazing how distracting real life can be from wanting to create art!
I have always loved the outdoors, so I mostly paint landscapes and seascapes taking inspiration from those places I love to be. I primarily work in acrylics as I like to work fast and not overthink things. I do take commissions though I find them a bit constricting. I honestly try to please the client, often explaining to them that I too need to have some say in how the finished painting will look. I take a lot of photos and do rough sketches in pen and pencil or watercolor outdoors but prefer finishing painting an actual canvas at home. I like things streamlined and simple so lugging equipment to and from sites in all sorts of weather is irksome to me.
My style has evolved over the years and has sometimes been called impressionistic and at other times modern impressionistic. Lately, some of my smaller works have become more realistic. I’m forcing myself to slow down a bit and really see what it is I want to convey. Mostly I just want to share what I see with those who want more than a camera shot to take home with them.
About 2 years ago I re-joined our local art league and entered one of the juried Art shows, again. I was surprised to receive recognition and though the monetary award barely covered a meal for 2 at my local Mexican restaurant, the boost to my ego was tremendous. Since then, I’ve had multiple commissions and sold quite a few works and am in the process of entering more art shows.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Some non-creatives seem to think my art is just a hobby or something I do to fill my time until something more important comes along that pays more or gives me more status. I grew up in a generation where if a woman went to work full time her choices were secretary, nurse or teacher. Since I didn’t continue teaching art 5 days a week in a traditional sense, I actually had someone say to me, “Well, you certainly wasted your education.” No education is ever wasted! At that time in my life, raising four children who were my most apt art students ever, was my choice and the best decision ever. My 10-year-old came home one day prepping for career day and asked, “If dad works on computers, what do you do?” I told him I used to an art teacher, and I may teach again or even be a famous writer or artist someday, but for right now, I’m your mom. I didn’t buy into the “Women can have it all” mentality of the day. I realized women can have it all, just not all at the same time and that’s fine with me. If my “hobby” was making Halloween costumes one year, helping create a logo for the school bake sale the next and now is painting a landscape for a client, I’ll embrace my hobby wholeheartedly.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Education in the Arts (fine arts, music, theater and more) needs to be encouraged and fully funded in every school system. Everyone needs to stop relying on mass produced, cheap and harmful to the environment, fashion, furniture, housewares, home decor and the like. People need to be taught and encouraged to source locally whenever possible the products and artists to meet those needs. And it will help of course, if artists are paid more than a pittance.
Contact Info:
- Website: kirstenwalker.com
- Instagram: @kirstenwalkerart
Image Credits
Photo of Kirsten Walker by Kay Nass @lasskaynass