Kay Crain | Defiance, Missouri USA
Kay Crain was born in 1950 in Macomb, Illinois into an artistic family. Her grandfather Roy was a painter; and her great uncle Joseph Reidsema was a plein air painter in California and Michigan in the 30s through the 50s. Her mother painted as well, and so art supplies were available and creativity encouraged from an early age.
Although primarily self taught, through the years, she has taken anumber of workshops and classes in the art of making art. Her degree from Western Illinois University (1972) is in Englishsecondary education. In 1986, she completed her studies to become a Registered Nurse, and works today in her specialty, Maternal Fetal medicine. Kay partially credits all those anatomy and physiology courses for increasing her knowledge of the human form and her ability to paint it.
Kay's favorite subject to paint is people, and she does many portrait commissions. She is always fascinated by the endless combination of features that make people unique.
Her paintings are represented in one corporate and many private collections in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
She considers herself a contemporary realist with impressionist leanings. She is definitely a colorist, not a tonalist, and prefers representational art. Her style can be summed up with two words: “Not Edgy.”
Her artistic heroes are Nicolai Fechin, John Singer Sargent and Norman Rockwell.
Kay lives and works in Defiance, Missouri near st. Louis with her husband and framer of 36 years, Larry.
