Christy Kinard

If a Southerner talks music, weaving symphonies of vibrant wordplay, I would like to think that I paint similarly, creating rich compositions with impressions of Southern life. The abundant flowers and unique cultural traditions of the South sing through me, into my hands and onto the materials that shape my visual song. I attempt to capture the joyful, layered character of the South, working from both childhood memories and life.
Flowers are the main subjects of my work, which reflects the bounty of colorful plant life both outside and in the homes of the South. In keeping with Southern tradition, there was almost always a fresh bouquet of flowers on the table of my childhood home. The frequent presence of flowers made a lasting impression"”so much so that the floral still life would become the central focus of my work.
To represent these bouquets, I created my own visual language partially inspired by the Southern quilting tradition. While quilting is a globally practiced art, the South has its own unique style. My great aunts, who sewed kaleidoscope patchwork with patterned squares of fabric, exposed me to this style. Instead of picking up a needle, however, I picked up a paintbrush to paint and collage layers of patterns and ...