Finding My Painting Niche

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My Most recent Works

Lately I’ve been finding my painting niche in folk art painting. My favorite definition of folk art is by Edward Lucie Smith: unsophisticated art, both fine and applied, which is supposedly rooted in the collective awareness of simple people.

Have you ever struggled to find your niche, or painted or made things that you didn’t like? Finding my painting niche was something that took a long time. But as they say, it was probably there all along.

As most of you know, I live on the South Carolina coast. You would think that palmetto trees, seascapes, and marsh grass would be the focus of my art, but it just isn’t. I like to paint Lowcountry hovels, cottages, flowers, and animals; but not tidal pools and seashells.

My Craft Show Roots

Maybe I like folk art because I began painting and selling buckets, watering cans, and birdhouses in the craft shows of the 1990s. The items I sold were pretty and functional, and were bought by common people (you know the picture above is old when you see how blurry it is and the console tv in the background).

Painting Came to a Halt While I Was Raising My Family

After the craft show era, several decades went by as I raised and homeschooled my children. I wouldn’t trade one minute of my time with my kids for all the paintings in the world. I do not regret my choice to take time out to be a mom, because I believe the Lord called me to do just that.

However, once my youngest child turned ten, I had more free time, and began to get the creative urge again. If you are a young mom, take heart. Someday you will have a lot more hours to experiment (but it will never be as fun as what you’re doing with your kids right now, so don’t wish it away). I like to write, so I started with that as an outlet for expression. Then I created this blog and wrote about vintage items, dishware, recipes, and homeschooling. I also bought and sold dishes on eBay for a while until my house became burried in tableware (see the picture below). Still, none of those things were quite right for me.

Painting Creeped Its Way Back into My Life

I wrote my first painting tutorial for a DIY Buffalo Plaid Cozy Little Cottage Sign I made in December 2018. It was featured on several blog parties. I loved the positive feedback, so I became motivated to make and buy more surfaces to embellish. I still write tutorials for everything I create. My blog is like a catalog for me, because it includes pictures, videos, patterns, and directions for mostly everything I’ve painted, cooked, or sewed. Did you see all the pink Depression glass below the Cozy Little Cottage sign? I was still selling dishes when I became hooked on painting again. During the last four years I’ve painted on anything and everything. Sometimes I still get the urge to paint something I’ve found at a thrift or craft store.

Covid Accelerated My painting

When covid hit I suddenly had lots of time on my hands, so I opened an Etsy shop for my stuff and began teaching online painting classes. Eventually, I added canvas paintings to my offerings, and was no longer bound by the idea that a painted item must be functional. However, I still sell painted flower pots and watering cans and include them in my folk art-themed shop on Etsy.

Around the same time I stopped blogging about recipes, decor, sewing, and homeschooling, and began to focus solely on painting, with only an occasional post about something else. Although it felt limiting, narrowing my focus helped me to do one thing well, instead of doing lots of things adequately.

I’ve Tried a Few Things with Painting That I didn’t Enjoy

When I was asked to teach a painting class in my coastal South Carolina town, the owner of the art store wanted me to do a seascape. She also wanted to do a “paint and sip,” but I don’t drink alcohol. I did enjoy teaching the class, but the subject matter wasn’t exciting to me, and I didn’t like being the Drink and Paint teacher. When she asked me to come back, I told her I didn’t want to do a class with wine. “Can’t we do coffee on a Saturday morning?” I asked. She never called me back, but as Polonius said in Hamlet, “To thine own self be true.”

There are Things I Like to Paint, but Haven’t Fully Explored Yet

I painted portraits of my five children for our new house. I do enjoy painting portraits of people, but I’m not sure if I want to do them for commission. So while they’re in my wheelhouse of skills, I probably won’t concentrate on them solely.

The Journey Isn’t Over, but at Least I Know Where I’m Going

I might not paint the exact same things for the rest of my life, as my skills and tastes will continue to evolve. But for now, I am happy to have found my niche as a folk art painter who specifically enjoys painting flowers, animals, and cottages (and maybe the occasional portrait.) on canvas with acrylic paints. It took me four years to get here, but here I am at last. Have you found your niche? I would love to hear from you!

I hope you enjoyed reading Finding My Painting Niche.

Blessings,

Kristie

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