A Mother's Heart

Hart Dillard, Age 6, 11 x 14, Charcoal

I write a lot about my mission to help kids feel loved and valued for who they are. This mission is deeply personal because it stems from my experiences as a kid and feeling like who I was wasn’t good enough. I believed that I didn’t fit in and I didn’t do, wear, or say the right thing.

Now as an adult I see how those negative experiences shaped me into the person I am now and gave me this beautiful since of purpose. I know what I’ve been put on this earth to do.

I accomplish my mission by creating commissioned portraits of children that capture their personality. I do that by meeting the child and their mom and spending time with them. I also interview their mom about who their kids are so I can better capture that unique little person.

I want them to know they are beautifully created and worth celebrating.

For Hart’s portrait, his mom Margaret told me her oldest son is a rule follower. He’s calm and funny, and enjoys sports and science. Margaret said she wanted this portrait because it was something special that was more than a photo to capture her son.

These moms know how precious and fleeting childhood is. Since becoming a mom I understand how they feel:) The love you feel for a child is the greatest love of all. It’s deeper than anything you’ve known before. You want your children to know how loved and valued they are every day.

A portrait of you child is a symbol of that love. It’s a true expression of the love in a mother’s heart. I’m just so happy to be the one to celebrate it.

A Life's Mission

Margaux, Age 4, Oil on canvas

What a year 2020 has been! Despite the pandemic, my portrait commission schedule was a busy as ever as I continued to work with families in different parts of the country, helping them capture and celebrate their kids.

And after having a baby, I truly understand what that means and how important it is!

I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Viney’s for severals years. They’re college friends of my husband’s and live in Dallas. A few years ago, I painted their first child Robert at around 3 1/2 years old. A few years later it was time to paint Margaux’s portrait. I was amazed at how much she had changed since I last saw her.

She’s grown into a sweet and delicate child who loves “date nights” with her dad and being a sister to her two brothers. Her mom, Elizabeth, wanted portraits of her kids because they’re the most important things in her life. She wants to capture them at this special time.

It’s important to me to continue working with families to paint portraits of all their kids. That’s why I flew to Dallas just to spend time with Margaux and take her pictures myself.

I’m often asked if I work from photos, and the answer is yes, BUT only from photos I take. It’s crucial to my artistic process to be able to meet and spend time with the child, getting to know their personality. It’s from this interaction that I’m able to create the portrait using my photos.

Plus, it just makes the process so much better to spend time with these kids and their families. I want them to feel loved and special, so I take the time to make sure I get the best photos possible.

That’s why I do this work and love it! It’s all part of my mission to help kids feel loved and valued for who they are. I simply can’t do this as well if I haven’t met the child. It’s my lifelong mission and it gives my life meaning a purpose.

Commissions Across the Country

This summer I had a blast traveling to Baltimore and Dallas to for some commissions. Working with clients in Virginia is great, but I love out-of-town commissions too. Each year I set aside time in my calendar for travel.

George, Age 2, Charcoal, 11 x 14, Dallas TX

The first portrait I did was of little George in Dallas, TX. His mom, Alaina, is the sister of one of my Memphis clients. It’s such a compliment for me to receive business from previous patrons, because it means they trust my work enough to recommend me to friends and family!

Like most little boys, George was very active. But luckily, I’m used to that and was able to get pictures of him in his brief moments of pause. Alaina said she wanted something special to capture her son at this age, because she could see him growing up so fast. She told me she would treasure this portrait for years to come. Many of the moms I work with say the same thing. Childhood is so fleeting and precious!

Josie, Age 2, Charcoal on paper, Baltimore MD

The other out-of-town portrait I did this summer was of spunky little Josie! Like George she was running all over the place, jumping off chairs into her mother’s arms. Her parents, Mike and Niki, are college friends of my husband’s.

When Niki saw my work a few years ago, she knew she wanted to commission a portrait of her then newborn daughter. Having seen Josie as an infant and now as a walking, talking (bi-lingual!) child, I can say for sure she has really grown up quickly. It was such an honor for me to capture her at this precious age.

Shona, Age 3, Charcoal, 11” x 14” Baltmore MD

Then there’s sweet little Shona! Shona was such a delight. He was shy at first, but then really came out of his shell. His mom, Sudi, says he’s very smart and inquisitive. Right now he loves geography. When I spoke to Sudi on our initial consultation, she said she loved my work and really wanted to some special to capture Shona, something she could admire everyday. I’m so happy it worked out that I was able to visit Baltimore and take his pictures.

And that’s a wrap! As some of you know, we’re expecting our own child this October. I’m working to wrap up some commissions before the baby comes. After that, my schedule will be more limited, so make sure to book a consult with me before it’s too late!

xoxo,

Kate

Helping Children Feel Loved and Valued

Grant, Age 7, Oil on canvas

I feel so blessed to get to do what I love. I know many artists don’t get to say that, but for me it’s true. That’s because what I do connects with who I am as a person. For me, it’s not just about painting portraits. It’s about helping a child feel loved and valued for who they are.

That’s my mission. It comes from a place that’s deeply personal to me from my own experiences growing up. So while I enjoy painting other subjects, capturing children is my true passion and calling. Although I often get asked, I don’t do group portraits for this reason. You just can’t capture the personality and individuality of a child in a group setting.

Plus, kids are just so darn cute!

Like Grant here, who was seven when I painted his portrait. His mom Heather, told me she wanted this special time captured in her son’s life. Moms know how quickly their kids grow and change. There’s only a small window of time where they’re truly innocent and need their parents for everything. As a soon-to-be-mom, I can already feel how important and precious this time is.

I hope Heather and the moms who commission me treasure these fleeting years. I know they have their portraits to help them remember and cherish this time in their child’s life for years to come.

The essence of a child

Amelia, 16 x 20, Oil on canvas

Luck, 16 x 20, Oil on canvas

A few months ago I had the privilege of painting portraits of brother and sister, Luck and Amelia, here in Lynchburg, VA. What I love about getting to do portraits like these is the chance to meet and spend time with the kids I paint.

You see, while I work primarily from photographs, it’s so important to my process to be able to interact with my subject. That’s why I don’t work from someone else’s photo. It just doesn’t give me a true sense of who the child is and what they’re like. Plus it’s just a delight to be around these children during this special time in their lives.

I loved painting this brother and sister who just truly seemed like they’re good friends. Their mom, Elizabeth, says being in quarantine has brought them closer than ever.

My work is about capturing a child’s personality, because it’s my mission to help kids feel loved and valued for who they are. This mission is deeply personal to me. I want them to feel loved and celebrated because I know how important that is in the life of a child.

I love getting to capture kids like Luck and Amelia as my job. It’s such an honor as a full-time artist to be able to live my mission out. I hope these kids and the others I’ve painted find their own calling a purpose in life. I know their great parents are helping them do that.