Kentucky is some of the best parts of me and I’m proud to be from there. I feel strongly that Kentucky and Appalachia are one of the most beautiful, deeply precious, and widely overlooked places in America.

NOVEMBER IN KENTUCKY
Chalk Pastel on Paper
50 × 76 cm // 20 × 30 inches
Framed in Antique Brown Wood
Paintsville Lake, KY

L’HISTOIRE

My Mom grew up in Paintsville, Eastern Kentucky, near West Virginia. My Meemee and extended family still live there. Going back to the mountains reminds me of being a kid again - taking Meem’s pontoon boat out on the lake and swimming in the mud to shore.

It reminds me of getting Dairy Queen (not franchised), of summers and holidays, and climbing up the back 'hill' to roam the forest for hours—of running up the holler, that narrow road and ridge-side neighborhood where generations of the same family lived. Of cousins and funerals, when the men carried the casket up the mountain to the place where everyone buried there is my kin—and afterward, singing bluegrass hymns a cappella in the tiny Baptist church, and the reunions where every dish was a casserole.

Visiting Paintsville now is quiet and sad and hard at times. And still, being there feels important.

PROCESS & MATERIALS
I create each original chalk pastel painting on 100% cotton, deckled-edged, cold pressed heavy weight art paper. My preferred chalks come from the artisanal pastelliers in Roussillon, Provence, in tandem with Senneliers chalk pastels - a very high quality, hand-crafted, elegant range which blends and layers perfectly.

As part of my process, I create a layered thickness to the chalk itself by using art fixative spray in layers as I work - not just as a final finish like you would a varnish. In this way, I can create a pastel painting which shows more texture and depth than your average pastel drawing on paper.

HANDLING
Chalk pastel, however, remains a fluid, movable medium which will never fully “set” like a varnished oil painting, for example. This is one of the reasons I love this medium so much, but which requires dedicated care and attention for handling.

FRAMING
I found the antique frame for this piece in New Orleans, LA. It is a beautiful dark wood and fits to the painting image itself.

SHIPPING
This art ships from New Orleans, LA, USA - Packaging original art is an art form unto itself, and one which I have been honing for years. I package your original art with as much care as I took creating it.

Let’s talk about any questions you might have - please don’t hesitate to reach out.