Interview with artist Karlyn Holloway
Karlyn Holloway is an award winning artist based in Cabot, Arkansas. She is a signature member of the Arkansas League of Artists and Mid-Southern Watercolorists. Karlyn's work is in collections such as the Baxter County Library, and the Arkansas Pediatric Facility in North Little Rock, AR. and across the U.S.A. and Europe. More of Karlyn’s work can be seen at Ellen Hobgood Gallery in Heber Springs, Red Door Gallery in North Little Rock, and at her website karlynholloway.com.
AAS: Karlyn, are you originally from Arkansas?
KH: I’ve always lived in Arkansas. I grew up in North Little Rock and went to North Little Rock High School for my sophomore year, we moved and I completed high school at Oak Grove High.
From high school I started working at Blue Cross and worked there for 17 years. During that time I was married and had a daughter. After that chapter closed, I remarried and a new chapter started. We moved to Cabot and still live there with two very spoilt dogs. I had always wanted to go to college and with a big thank you to my husband, I attended ASU Beebe and was fortunate to be able to go full time. I graduated with an associate degree in art and went on to UCA for about another year and a half.
AAS: Did you know early on growing up that you wanted to be an artist?
KH: When I was young I really didn’t know anything about art or artists. I just loved to draw and drew the models out of newspapers. My maternal grandmother was very creative and could do just about everything. she was always making something out of nothing. I think I must have inherited her creative genes. In Junior high and High school I took art classes and drew portraits of my friends.
I started painting seriously when I got out of college. I've taken several painting workshops to learn and continue to get better. I took oil painting workshops with Frank Covino and David Kassan and others. I also took watercolor workshops and watched many demos at mid-southern watercolorists meetings. I continue to take workshops and classes to keep learning – never stop learning!
AAS: I want to ask you first about The Legacy. It is an extraordinary painting in oil. Who does it reference?
The Legacy, 16” x 20”, oil on canvas
KH: Thank you very much. This quilt is part of a series to showcase the skill and artistry of them. Quilts have been such an important element for a creative outlet for women and so much more. This quilt was a commission from a friend. I added the hands and bible because she is a Christian and I thought it would be something special for her. I wanted to showcase how my adopted grandmother was such a symbol to me of trust and dependence on God. He always took care of her. I titled it The Legacy because of this. Since this painting has been sold I haven’t entered it in any shows.
The Hands of Time, 24” x 15”, oil on linen on panel
My first quilt painting was The Hands of Time. These are my grandmother’s hands, I love to paint hands. Quilts symbolize family, warmth and community. I started this series because I wanted to celebrate these jewels of our home life that are often overlooked and taken for granted. My hope is to someday have a solo show with these works. I just need more of them. This painting has been in many shows. Women painters of the Southeast, Ark league of artists juried show, Texas and Neighbors regional juried show, winning "Best of Show". Art of the Heartland national show Mena, AR. It was selected to be in "Her Story" international online show and Breckenridge fine art international-national show, Texas 2016.
AAS: Then there is Magic Threads. Here you used acrylic to render even finer detail. Are you a quilter?
Magic Threads, 14” x 11”, acrylic on canvas
KH: I don’t quilt but I have many friends who do. I can sew a little. There are a lot of tools used in sewing and I wanted to showcase them. I take my own reference photos but it wasn’t until I started painting it that I noticed all the mysterious shadows. I like looking for the things that aren’t usually seen. For Magic Threads I borrowed the quilt and just looked for interesting thread items that were used. This quilt resembles what is called a crazy quilt, my favorite kind. Many are embroidered on, and embellished with all types of fabric from velvet to silk.
AAS: Your work has so much detail and precision. Did this come from a foundation in drawing?
KH: Most of life is in the small details. I like looking for them because they tell the story. It does take careful observation and drawing skill to capture them, that’s the challenge.
AAS: You also do some wonderful portraits. One of my favorites is The Storyteller. There is sense of sadness to it, but loving respect and admiration as well.
KH: The Storyteller is a portrait of my father in law. He was a very special part of the family and quite the character. He grew up in the depression so had to hunt and learn to do just about everything. Maybe that’s the sadness you see in his eyes and just the passage of time. He was well known for his stories and jokes, and I think there’s a spark of joy in his eyes also.
The Storyteller, 18” 24”, oil on canvas
AAS: In addition to oil and acrylic, you use watercolor. Sometimes It Happens is a remarkable painting filled with wonderful texture and I love that splash of color from his cane. Tell me about that painting.
Sometimes It Happens, 32” x 23”, watercolor on paper
KH: I was fortunate enough to visit Italy. It had always been a dream. Italy is magic to me. We were visiting the small villages and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. This older man came and sat on this bench and seemed to be in deep thought and bouncing that cane up and down. The light was fabulous and I managed to get several good photos. He saw me and tossed his head back with a look that said “Tourist”. Thus I named it Sometimes It Happens everything lines up perfect. It is a large watercolor and was a challenge, but it won a couple of best of shows – Mid-Southern Watercolorists national show and in the juried Arkansas League of Artists show.
AAS: Do you have a favorite medium?
Waiting, 14” x 22”, charcoal on paper
KH: Charcoal is my favorite medium, though I haven’t worked with it much lately. It has a magic quality that is hard to describe. Waiting is a charcoal portrait of my mother in law. I felt lucky to catch this pensive pose, it was so natural. This was done a while ago. Watercolor is the most difficult for me because I want to control it and it has a mind of its own. There is a lot of planning ahead involved. There is something about it that I just have to do sometimes. Acrylic is really fun because you can get effects that are full of fantasy and hard to get with oil.
AAS: You have a delightful series of paintings of cotton bolls. In Windblown Dreams you captured the movement of the wind beautifully. Tell me about that series.
Windblown Dreams, 11” x 14”, acrylic on canvas
KH: My husband brought home some cotton for a teacher friend of ours. In the sun they just glowed with color and the leaves have such intricate detail. I had to paint them. Each one has a different character much like flowers. I will include them in my quilt series because cotton has such a history and is so important for quilt making.
AAS: I came to know your work from some of your more recent paintings, which are more tonal. I especially like We Bow Down. Tell me about this series.
We Bow Down, 24” x 18”, oil on canvas
KH: I started this series of florals awhile back. I was looking for inspiration and a mentor friend suggested these tonal paintings. I’ve had times of dark places and for me they are my way of showing how God brings us out of darkness. I feel flowers are a gift and a smile from God. To me this iris seemed to be bowing to the Creator.
AAS: Karlyn, why do you paint and where do you look for inspiration?
KH: I don’t know why I paint, as with many artists I just know I have to. When I was a kid, I read a lot. Books are full of magic and fantasy that’s where my love of it comes from. There is a spark of magic in books especially children’s books, my favorite. I collect them. My favorite artists are the early illustrators Maxfield Parrish, Arthur Rackham and many more. I’m drawn to the work from the art nouveau period and the Pre-Raphaelites. The Pre-Raphaelites were drawn to details; I guess that’s where I get it.
