A Thriving Artist
Since my last blog post was about Kevin Osbourn and his Daniel Boone painting, I think I’ll keep the artist vibe going by showcasing another painter that I do copy work for, Kim Perry of Kim Perry Studio in Louisville. I first met Kim in early 2021 when her husband Chris, who I work with at the Kentucky Electric Cooperatives said his wife was beginning to paint and asked if she could paint one of my lineman photos.
They had taken a trip to Ireland and Kim took a painting class while she was there and was a natural at it. For someone who took a class on a vacation whim, Kim has grown and matured into a thriving artist. I’ve enjoyed talking with her about the artistic side of being a creative as well as the business side, which is the hardest part. When you’re creative that part comes from instinct, paying the bills is where the real struggle comes from. There’s definitely a learning curve, usually at the school of hard knocks, when an artist of any kind has to actually make a living. I’ve enjoyed mentoring Kim on a few things, mostly business related because I tell her all the time that I had so many great mentors as I was coming up as a photographer. A true mentor will pay it forward by giving you their time, patience, advice, and opportunity for free.
My process in copying these paintings is really high tech! JK! All I do is put them on a card table in my garage and prop it up with a case of water from Costco. Then I open the garage door and let some light filter in. Since I'm cropping to the painting, the background doesn't matter. When you find good light kids, you'll find good photos!
Kim specializes in painting Kentucky’s two favorite children, horses and bourbon. Several of her equine paintings are from my Keeneland and Kentucky Derby photos, which is pretty cool to see my photos transformed into a painting. It’s like…same country, different universe type of thing. You can see more of her beautiful work at kimperrystudio.com.
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