We’re Good. Karen Killian, artist
Art is a life-long and self-taught study for Karen Killian, who creates portraits of pets and people at The Watermark Studio in Tryon. Killian began with pencil drawings as a child and also had an early career painting signs. In 1989, she snapped a black-and-white photograph of her new Golden Retriever sitting on a dock in the Chesapeake Bay. “It was a bolt of inspiration that turned it into a pencil drawing, so I credit Chessie for this whole career,” Killian says.
Her style has evolved since that first drawing of Chessie. She had a brief interest in watercolor pencils, which are especially useful for creating textured fur. “Then I added tube watercolors to better paint backgrounds, which enhance the story of a portrait,” she says. “When people started asking me to paint children, I dusted off my very old, experimental oil paints and became addicted to their depth and richness, and sometimes forgiveness.” She still draws, but only paints in oils now with a focus on light quality and a realistic-yet-soft style.
Killian works with commission clients to get to know the subjects, taking photos and making sketches and color notes. After going over the photos with her clients, she completes the painting in her studio. “If need be, l can work from a client’s own photos, provided they give me all the information, especially clear close-ups, that I need.” Portrait prices begin at $1,750, and are determined by pose (head study to full body), number of subjects, setting and detail of background, and size of the finished painting.
Killian describes a great satisfaction that comes from capturing her animal subjects, whether it’s a playful spark in their eye or a certain pose that really emphasizes their personality. “My mission is to look for the spirit of my subjects and preserve a feeling for my clients that will warm their hearts forever,” she says.
See Killian’s work at The Watermark Studio at 120 North Trade, Tryon. Learn more at WatermarkStudio.com
