The Art of “Character”…
Kim Kreis with “The Woman WITHOUT A NAME” 48X48 standing in one of her favorite spots at her Birmingham home.
Kim Kreis graduated with a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education and taught the most delightful fourth graders in a blue collar, farming community outside Dothan, Alabama for 10 years. Following her marriage in 1986, she moved to Birmingham where she began a new career as a stay at home mom and a fine stationery entrepreneur for 25+ years. Once she and her business partner passed on their company, Sweet Pea Designs, the next step became obvious…to be an artist with a purpose…
Artwork starts as a blank canvas that has many expectations laid before it. For me, my expectations are few but they are large.
Since beginning my art career in 2016 my expectations did not all “arrive” on the first day, nor the first year. It was indeed a process. Artists come from different backgrounds and training and mine was not traditional. My background was a Master’s in Education teaching 4th graders in a blue collar farming community and it was heaven to me.
My second career was 25+ years as the co founder of Sweet Pea Designs fine stationery where we “taught ourselves” to be graphic designers and artists. It was grueling, it was challenging, it was a blessing to our families.
My current career began in 2016 when I knew that I was to paint. I had painted and been actively creative all my life so I was not afraid…but I had no idea what I was going to paint. But I began with florals because I was an avid gardener and abstracts because they are challenging. I then was thankful that I was able to actually sell my work…but although I knew that time would provide more experience and ability, I was eager to feel that I had a real purpose for my art so I prayed that God would show me that.
One night I had a dream that changed the direction of what and how I would paint.I fell asleep praying about the direction of my painting and it’s meaning for me but others as well. The next morning I awoke with a clear memory of painting flower ladies in a dream. The flowers would represent character that is discussed in many areas of the Bible but especially in the book of Proverbs. The women would not have detailed faces because character (the flowers) would be the focus of my art…the women would represent those that we have met that draw us to them. These women have sought out character like wisdom, love, kindness, honesty, graciousness, goodness, etc. and we are drawn to them, want to be like them, want to learn from them and teach it to our children.I also decided, in most of the paintings, to divide their faces vertically with one side darker than the other…this would represent different cultures, backgrounds, ideas, nationalities that come together because true character knows no color or country.
When I paint, I find that I enjoy praying for who will get the painting. I often listen to contemporary Christian music on my headphones as well and when I choose to watch a movie you can bet it will be an old black and white or early color classic that teaches a major theme of character. I want my art to come to my new friend knowing that I have prayed for them, that I care about them and they can look at this piece and be inspired to remember that a woman attracts others to them because of beautiful character.
As flower ladies are my favorite subject to paint, I also love to paint playful florals, landscapes and abstracts that are colorful and full of joy. Sometimes a client will say “they aren’t really sure why my art speaks to them…it just does.” Do you know that I actually like that?
Matthew 6:33 has been my life verse for many years.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
My purpose is to paint art that reflects a story about character that makes a woman worth far more than rubies and I hope to do that in a playful, whimsical manner.
Most of us do not have the kind of character we would like to have but we can change and seek it at any stage of our lives…like changing careers and the different seasons of life; it is never too late to seek.