Paint Party Friday: Week 11, Year 2 Check In Featured Artist: Kristin Van Valkenburgh

image courtesy of Kristin Van Valkenburgh

Welcome to Week 11 of Paint Party Friday (Year 2) and to the next edition of our Featured Artist Series! (Would you like to be a PPF Featured Artist? Please click here for details!) Our featured artist this week creates colorful paintings with whimsical beauties and is planning on providing a summer filled with delicious inspiration. Please welcome Kristin Van Valkenburgh of Twinkle, Twinkle!

1) Please tell us a bit about your personal history with painting. (When did you start painting? How has your painting evolved since you first started?) 

I started “painting” in a rather fabulous and undeniably girly way: as a Makeup Artist. Way before Mommyhood, I mixed lipsticks, shimmers and creams on the back of my hand, working my way up the arm until my “palette” would encroach upon my elbow. . . I would apply color, step back, scrutinize my work, and repeat . . .  apply, step back, scrutinize, apply, step back, scrutinize until, well, my “picture” was complete. And every once in a while, someone would graciously say that I looked just like an Artist. To which I would smile and sigh under my breath, “I wish.” Cut to ten years, a blog and several online classes later, and I’m now swapping foundations with acrylics and glosses with glitter. All in an effort to basically do the same thing I started years ago: to make people - women in particular - feel good about themselves.

2) What are your favorite techniques, media, and tools to use in creating your paintings?

I had been collaging for a while - mixing bits of paper and ephemera with smudges of paint and charcoal - before I found the school of Tam (otherwise known as Willowing.ning.com) and something in me knew I was home. It all came together then - the face painting with the “real” painting - and I’ve never looked back. As a student of Tam’s, I’m most comfortable with acrylics and watercolor crayons, but I also love bold, heavy acrylics, wax pastels, wax crayons and bright color. Oh, and almost every piece I do in some way incorporates Swarovski crystals, shimmer or shine. After all, to quote my 6-year-old, “every girl needs a little glitter now and then.”

image courtesy of Kristin Van Valkenburgh

3) What is your favorite thing to paint? Why?

I love to paint whimsical women and vintage-inspired little girls. I’m an adoptive parent and as such, my message tends to be about adoption, Motherhood and Mothering. A combination of collage and painting is where I’m most comfortable and it is my goal to express gratitude, hope and love in everything I create.

4) What is your proudest painting moment and/or greatest painting achievement so far?

I’m lucky to have had some of my work published, but I must say that my proudest moment just occurred, when a collage / painting I submitted was selected for the current issue (May/June 2012) of Somerset Studio. It just so happened to feature our daughter Kendra’s little body (and a clip art head, something she was not pleased with) and to see her excitement about being in a magazine was simply the best. She bragged and I smiled, knowing that nothing beats her beaming and this Mama Moment!

image courtesy of Kristin Van Valkenburgh

5) What's next in your painting future?  

I’m going to continue to put myself “out there” and see where this whole arty adventure take me. For the moment, I’m thrilled to be the happy host of The Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations, a FREE 6-week event celebrating art in all it’s hues. Think of it as a blog block party centered around all the bold and luscious colors of our favorite ice cream flavors. The event will feature weekly color prompts, blog hops and giveaways. To learn all about it (it’d be so sweet if you’d join us!) please check out my blog, our Facebook page or Flickr group.

Thank you Kristin - The Summer of Color 2 sounds like lots of fun! To see more of Kristin's artwork and find out more about her summer party, please visit her at:

My blog:

www.TwinkleTwinkleLikeAStar.blogspot.com

Summer of Color info:

http://www.twinkletwinklelikeastar.blogspot.com/p/summer-of-color-2012.html

Summer of Color on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/116928415059733/

Summer of Color on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/thesummerofcolor/pool/

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN...

WE WANT YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR STORY!

**Would you like to be a PPF Featured Artist? Click here for details!**

Another fun party last week! Now, here is our check-in for this week's party:

Please make sure to use your post URL address NOT your blog home page URL address as there are many late visitors who get confused as to which post is for PPF when they arrive (after Friday) at your website. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Linky, an explanation of how this tool works can be found on Week 1 and Week 2Check-Ins.