During a painting workshop in Arkansas, we painted on some amazing farmland with a beautiful plantation house and garden. I loved how the sunlight splotched all over the blooms on the trees and onto the bushes. One side of the painting is in dark shadow, while the light illuminates the bushes and crape myrtles, creating a perfect keyhole to peak through to the rest of the garden.
Little Rock native Kristen Hess has been taken captive by the rich colors and thick textures of oil paints since 2005. Her work combines the effect of light on her subjects with expressive brushstrokes, creating movement and depth in her pieces. Her representational style along with an extensive background in drawing come together with the atmospheric colors of the impressionists to create paintings that capture the emotion of the place or subject.