Paintings by Lainee K
This body of work began in 2016 when I created a piece of art every day. I was travelling a lot for my day job, so I picked up some sketchbooks and some Montana Paint pens which allowed me to take my creativity on the road.
Using a different medium than I had previously used altered my art. My images came out more illustrative yet the paint pens are liberating and forgiving. They mix when blended. They layer. It was fun getting to know them as if getting to know someone I knew would be a friend for life.
The act of creating an art piece every day taught me many things. First and foremost, it taught me to let go and just create. Instead of worrying about the outcome, I was able to tap into my feelings of that day, and just create. It got me out of my head and into my heart and body. I learned quickly to let go of “good” and “bad” concepts because I would need to create something new the next day and needed to work quickly.
It also pushed my creativity to a new level. By quieting my internal critics, I found the ideas flowed more readily. I wasn’t judging my work anymore. I found some themes beginning to appear in my work as well as similar characters popping in here and there to say hello.
I also saw my work take on a more emotional twist. I could look back at the previous pieces and tell how my week had been going. They started to tell a story and I was only an observer. Sometimes the story was dark. Again, I let it go and tried not to judge. I was often surprised by the content. I felt the sadness, frustration, anger, fear, and loneliness needed a voice just as much as the happy, sunny ones did.
I began posting them and received feedback from people saying they could relate to the images on an emotional level. Because I was sharing my darker side, others started opening up to me about theirs as well. It fostered interesting dialogue.
My goal is to take abstract concepts, such as Joy, Sadness, Anger, Loneliness, Doubt and Fear and turn them into visual representations that may be relatable. We are all connected through our emotions. It is, after all, what makes us human.
I believe all emotions are powerful and should be felt and acknowledged, not just positive ones. My hope is that openly discussing difficult topics will help us deal with them. Loss, sorrow, bullying, self-harm, anger, hatred, anxiety, fear, and loneliness are all things commonly felt, experienced, witnessed and overcome.
My dream is to someday paint murals of sadness and hope; pain and joy; fear and inclusion on the side of buildings so they are huge and cannot be ignored.
If difficult experiences are brought into the light, maybe they will hold just a little less power. Maybe they will loosen their grip so that we can live more fulfilling lives. I hope to shine a light for people and help them feel less alone and more understood. We are all united by our emotions.
Lainee K is a NW based artist. She grew up on a farm outside of Portland, OR and currently resides in Olympia, WA. She began doing art at the University of San Diego where she studied Psychology and Art. She graduated with a BA in Psychology. It was during this time that she realized she’d always had a desire to create. After college, she continued to work on her art, taking all the classes she could find and practicing in any and all mediums. She started with oil painting and moved to pastel, paper, acrylic, and watercolor and finally rested on mixed-media. She realized through all of it that she loved color and texture and began to refer to herself as a colorist. Lainee K was a gallery director and then a district manager for Aaron Brothers Art and Frame and then Michaels. She learned the sales and framing side of the art world, all while practicing and fine-tuning her own artistic skills. She has always been an emotional person but it didn’t really enter her art until a few years ago. Suddenly, as she was creating, it felt as though she was painting her inner landscape. She has shown in various galleries in Oregon and Washington and received second runner up at the May Conception Art Show.
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