People ask me all the time — when did you start drawing? How did you learn? Did you go to art school?
The honest answer is that it was never one straight path. It was curiosity, a little courage, and a whole lot of never wanting to stop learning. So grab a coffee — here's the real story.
It Started at Home
Art was always around me growing up. My dad painted when I was small, and I have aunts on both sides of the family who painted too. I still have pieces from each of them hanging in my home. I remember watching them work and being completely fascinated — the way something beautiful could come from nothing but a brush and some paint.
This is one of my favorites by my Dad...
My mom recently told me that as a little girl I used to ask for drawing supplies and art materials. I'd get a sketch pad here and there, but it never went much further than that. She didn't think too much of it — I was a little girl who probably wanted everything. Fair enough, Mom. 😄
Looking back at my earliest pieces though — flowers, animals, people — I'm still painting the same things today. Some things just stick.
These are some of my first flowers...
The Class That Confirmed Everything
In 8th grade we had to choose a semester elective. I picked art without hesitating. I loved every minute of it.
The assignment I remember most was this: choose a photo from a magazine, cut it in half, and draw the other half yourself. My teacher was a little nervous about the image I chose — true to fashion, I picked one of the most technically difficult options available. But I was thirteen and apparently had no fear.
That piece is still one of my favorites...
Outside of art I was into pretty much everything — ballet, piano, tennis, basketball, track, hunting, fishing, raising pigs for FFA. My attention was divided in about fifteen directions at once. But art always stayed somewhere in the background, waiting.
The Fire Station Sketch Pad
Fast forward to 2007. I had just gotten into the fire department and one day at work I picked up a sketch pad and just... started drawing again.
In the years between middle school and becoming a firefighter I had always doodled on spare pieces of paper. But now I got serious about it. I picked up Lee Hammond's Big Book of Drawing and it completely got me into the groove.
Then one day I saw something painted on a motorcycle and I had to know how it was done. That led me to the airbrush. I bought an Iwata Eclipse and started teaching myself — trial and error, YouTube videos, Google searches. Somehow I kept getting better.
Airbrush Getaways, Dru Blair & Bar Rescue
I subscribed to Airbrush Action Magazine to learn more and discovered the Airbrush Getaway. I was nervous to go alone but a friend bolstered by courage and talked me into it — one of the best decisions I ever made. That world opened everything up for me.
At one of those events I met Dru Blair — an incredibly talented airbrush artist whose work stopped me in my tracks. I told him I wanted to take his class but wanted to get better first. He told me that was nonsense. It's easier to teach someone without bad habits, he said. He can teach anyone.
So I signed up for his class at Blair School of Realism in South Carolina. While I was there his assistant Kristina convinced me to come back for an art internship — and I did. I learned more about art from that experience than almost anything else before or since.
Those connections led to some wild opportunities I never expected:
- Attending SEMA in Las Vegas three times — twice as a guest artist, painting while crowds of 40 people gathered behind me watching. Humbling doesn't even cover it.
- Being one of the painters on an episode of Bar Rescue — Season 3, Episode 38. I painted for 22 hours straight. They showed me for about 3.5 seconds. Worth it.
- Being featured as an artist spotlight in four different magazines.
- Helping teach helmet painting classes at Airbrush Getaways — which I absolutely loved.
Here is the first portrait I painted under Dru Blair...
Where I Am Now
As exciting as all of that was, I eventually knew I didn't want to be pigeonholed into one style or one medium. My curiosity got the better of me — in the best possible way.
I started exploring alcohol inks, markers, resin, colored pencil, pastels, graphite, and charcoal. Each one taught me something new. Each one made me a better artist.
And that curiosity led me here — to the work I make today. Nature, flowers, South Texas landscapes, and the pets we love. Art that feels warm, meaningful, and like home.
I truly believe you can always learn from other artists no matter their experience level. Everyone has something to offer. And the most important thing I've learned after all these years?
Never stop learning. Never stop growing. Never stop having fun. 🎨
I'd love to know — what's your creative journey? Drop it in the comments below.
And if you'd like to learn more about me and my work, visit my About page — or if you're ready to commission something meaningful, I'd love to hear from you.
[About Kris] [Commission a Pet Portrait]
XO, Kris
