Art & Life with Kaitlyn Heriford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlyn Heriford.

Kaitlyn, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I am a painter living with my husband, Ben, and our sweet little dog, Luna. I dreamed of becoming an artist since I was a young girl – it is all I ever saw myself becoming, so I am grateful to have parents that never questioned my ambition. That drive and desire to create filled many of my days throughout grade school and college, continuing into today, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

In 2017, I graduated from Michigan State University with two arts degrees, because of course my artist heart couldn’t be satisfied with only one. I received a BA in Arts and Humanities, as well as a BFA in Studio Art with a 1st concentration in painting, 2nd in ceramics, and minor in Graphic Design. My time there helped to push me out of my comfort zone, allowing me to experiment, transform, grow, and ultimately find my voice – my language – as an artist.

Today I paint from my little at-home studio, creating work somewhere between realism and abstract expressionism. I work mainly in oil and acrylic paint, and I am endlessly inspired by light in all its forms and how the mind works in response to one’s environment.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My paintings explore the chaos and stillness of the mind when in personal spaces and how the phenomenon of light can bring calm to a moment. I am interested in the idea of one’s dwelling place and how it somewhere to fulfill the basic necessity of shelter, but it is also where we pursue restoration and solitude. I think it is often natural for our minds to wander and become overwhelmed with anxious thoughts rather than allowing ourselves to relax in these spaces, but I also find it important to allow ourselves to appreciate small moments of beauty that can easily be disregarded. So much clarity and a space to just breathe can be found by noticing and acknowledging something as simple as the sun’s rays casting through a window, while light and shadows on the walls and furniture dance softly in silence. My work seeks to convey these overlapping moments when one’s internal dialogue pauses and shifts that can go overlooked or forgotten.

I consider my language as a painter to be a visual form of breathing, where each piece breathes in and out of a sense of reality. I create physical fragmentations of form and color to reflect the metaphorical fragmentations of memory, experience, and wanderings of the mind. Larger works often take on a fuller scope of my personal memoir on the idea of home from my past and present, and through this, I hope for the audience to recognize or envision their own places of dwelling. Smaller works bring forth an abstract representation of both the wonder and strength that can be found from light and how it can alter our internal dialogue for the better. Together, my work aims to acknowledge the unspoken challenges experienced in daily life that overwhelm the mind, while magnifying the notion that light and reason can emerge – overcoming it all.

What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
I can absolutely understand this issue now that I am in my first year out of my undergraduate studies, which for years allowed me to build an art community with my classmates and professors. Not having that constant in-person support can certainly be difficult, but I think it is important to make an effort to connect with other artists in new ways. Attending local exhibition events and receptions is a great way to meet artists in one’s area. If possible, artists can also choose to rent studio space with other artists to create a down-scaled version the environment many of us came from in college. I love the idea of being able to get feedback and simply being in a creative, active working space as professionals. Another way that I have personally enjoyed for creating connections with artists is joining online groups or courses for creatives. This has been such a unique way I have been able to build support and sometimes even friendships with other emerging artists throughout the country. It feels great to know we are all in this together, even when we are alone in our studios and in different states.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My work can be found online, either through my website (kaitlynheriford.com) or my Instagram (@kaitlynheriford.art). I also have prints and other products with my work available on Society6.com.

Contact Info:

• Website: kaitlynheriford.com
• Email: hello@kaitlynheriford.com
• Instagram: @kaitlynheriford.art

Image Credit:
Kaitlyn Heriford

Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.