Artist of the Month December 2016

Krys Pettit

Apopka, Florida

I am a Watercolor and Oil artist based in Central Florida. My work covers the range from still life to figurative but my passion is the depiction of nature and architectural detail. I studied watercolor painting at the Crealde School of Art in Winter Park, Florida and also at Seminole College in Central Florida. I have participated in various workshops and classes from nationally-recognized watercolor artists such as Tony Van Hasselt, Tom Lynch, Tony Couch, but I am primarily self-taught. I continue developing my technique with local watercolor workshops, life drawing sessions and private instruction in oil painting. In addition to being in various private collections throughout the country, my work has been chosen for poster art for national art festivals, and I have exhibited in various juried national and state-only competitions.

How and when did you start creating art?

I fell in love with creating art as soon as I could hold a pencil - it must have been around the age of 1! I began seriously pursuing and studying watercolor painting over 20 years ago and recently have been able to devote myself full time to my art career.

What media and genres do you work in?

My first love is watercolor painting, but I have just recently begun working in oil. I am dedicated to drawing with pencil or charcoal and try to get in some time each day working with drawing – I feel it is the bones and structure of any painting. I don’t consider myself a realist nor an impressionist, perhaps I travel somewhere in between.

Who or what are your influences?

So many influences, but the strongest ones would be Andrew Wyeth, Monet, Renoir, Sargent, Hopper, Homer, Turner. There are countless contemporary artists and my teachers and mentors who have left an influence and imprint on my work. We all learn from each other.

What was your inspiration for

Passages

?

The window was on an abandoned building along the coast in Florida and it opened up onto the water and the sunlight. I couldn’t ask for more perfect inspiration. In a more spiritual vein I think these piece shows the darker moments of life but emphasizes there is always a transition from the darkness and emptiness into nature, light, the promise of a new day, a new beginning.

Describe your creative process?

I tend to look for the forgotten places and corners of life – a secluded corner landscape, the broken windows in an old structure, an entrance to a building that is passed by. I find these hidden gems make the best paintings. I work from my own photos, many a suggestion that I will turn into something totally different. It’s a feeling you get when you see an image, no explanation to it. I just know this is it.

Technically I do a fairly complete sketch when I paint in watercolor. I work hard not to overwork my watercolors and use a fairly transparent color palette. I work quickly, but I will work on one piece at a time. I complete a painting in 3-4 passes, leaving finite details for last.

What are you working on currently?

Although I love watercolor and feel it is a large part of me as an artist, I am currently working on developing my oil painting portfolio. I find a lot of my oils are borrowing techniques from watercolor and that my watercolors are becoming looser the more I work with oils. All happy accidents.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

Creating new art, strengthening my compositional techniques, becoming more adept at oil painting, and creating new and interesting watercolor work are near goals. I want to devote more time with figurative work and have an interest in exploring abstract expressionism in figurative art as a long-term goal. As with any artist, sharing my work through exhibits and with collectors is always a goal for me.

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

I exhibit in the Central Florida area and in regional southeast exhibitions. I am beginning to look at online opportunities. My web site has examples of my work and my architectural portraits and interested collectors are most welcome to contact me through the site: https://www.kryspettit.com/home.html