Artist Interviews
Artist Interview: Nom Kinnear King
Tells us about yourself and what you do.
I Live in Norwich, Norfolk, England with my husband Adam Oehlers who is also an artist, and have two little girls. My days are spent half the time running about after them across the park and down the slide, playing princesses, convincing them into pyjamas and then the nights are spent myself and my partner painting away with which ever show we are addicted to on in the background, we get rather lost in our work until one of us announces its the others turn to make a cuppa, it’s nice to show each other what we have been working on at the end of the night. At the weekends we often drive off somewhere to have some adventure and inspiration, the beach the woods or a big old country house, which will often feature as the scenery behind my girls.
Why art?
It was always going to be art I’ve said since I was young that I wanted to be an artist I remember vividly painting a purple flower in primary school painting a cornflower and the teacher saying he thought it was good, and that meaning a lot to me, I wasn't at all academically inclined, I loved to fill notebooks with drawings of girls and write about their lives, I wander round the fields thinking about them, so I’ve rather continued down that path still my notebooks are filled with them and my head when wandering about.
Which medium would you love to try but haven't yet?
There's all sorts of Mediums I would love to try when I have more time, I’ve been painting on Objects for a while it would be cool to push that further to make things that move and scenes like a little theatre with the stage scenery set and painted in different layers. I’d also like to try more things with mixed mediums to see what different effects I could get from the combinations.
What are you trying to communicate with your art?
I like to convey those solitary moments times of adventure and reflection, the characters I paint I see as wanderers, off and away in their own heads exploring and seeing things that no one else can see. Finding the magic in the things around you, when you feel that the world belongs to just you, or you and your companion as recently I have been painting more than one girl. It is the same feeling i am trying to convey with my scenes with companions, as it is in this other world they are bound together in their secret knowledge of it. I love those moments when you can see and feel the magic in the landscape around you when a walk in the wood makes you feel you are part of a story.
How is your personality reflected in your work?
I have a vivid imagination I jump at everything I think my characters would also have this sense being lost in thought and then fleeing when they hear a twig snap or see a shadow, and they would defiantly not like big crowds too.
How has your artwork change over time?
When I had my first little girl four years ago I started painting much smaller pieces to help adjust to the time I had and now I love painting the miniatures as much as I do the larger scale pieces you can get so lost in them and there is a precious feel to them when they are small. I have also stepped back from the figures more to show more of the scene around them which I am loving as it opens up their world, the magic is not limited to their costume but can interlink with the setting around them and that place becoming clues to their story.
What memorable reaction have you had to your work?
I would have to say from reactions to my work it would have to be Marcy she is now a good friend, she commented on lots of my pieces with the all stories she saw in them and a now we chat back and forth sending pictures and words to each other, she gives me great inspiration and often sees whole different story to the pieces than what I had seen.
What is your dream project?
To paint the covers for all the books that I have loved, Picnic at hanging rock would be one of them.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
To stay cool, from my good friend Gray, I often panic when I think time is running out and thinking of him saying that makes me smile and chill out. also at the moment I'm not sure if it was someone or something that popped in my head but when you have lots to you can feel yourself rush into starting a piece and it’s a good thing to sit back at the beginning stages and know this bit is important to not rush the playing about bit as it goes so much better in the end if you have your head sorted at the beginning.
Professionally, what’s your goal?
To keep creating paintings that I love, growing the world around them and improving my skills to make them just as I want them to be.
Thank you so much Nom :)
Here´s a close up at "The Lost" for our upcoming art show "Euphoria".
Show opens on Nov 11th, to be included on the Collectors please send an email to: penumbra.art.boutique@gmail.com