Local artist KaeLynn Winn’s work featured at Gallery East
Emery County native KaeLynn Winn always knew she would return to her love of painting. Her talent for making art started at an early age and continued well into adulthood.
“My first experience creating a painting is a treasured memory,” Winn says. “Up until kindergarten, my experience with art was limited to coloring with crayons, which I adored. One fateful day I was given vivid red and blue finger paint and set free! The juicy red and dreamy blue paint mixed before my eyes and a deep, rich purple appeared to delight my senses,” she recalls. From that point on, Winn was hooked.
Emery County native KaeLynn Winn always knew she would return to her love of painting. Her talent for making art started at an early age and continued well into adulthood.
“My first experience creating a painting is a treasured memory,” Winn says. “Up until kindergarten, my experience with art was limited to coloring with crayons, which I adored. One fateful day I was given vivid red and blue finger paint and set free! The juicy red and dreamy blue paint mixed before my eyes and a deep, rich purple appeared to delight my senses,” she recalls. From that point on, Winn was hooked.
Her love of art and creativity motivated her to seek more knowledge and many ways to draw and paint. She studied art books and ‘how to’ draw and paint handbooks. She checked out everything from the local library that served her artistic thirst and even took weekly lessons from a woman who flamed her interest in oil painting.
Winn, who is known locally and among crafters for her original clip art designs, has developed her artistic skills since those early encounters with art making. She went on to pursue art in college, completing an associate of art’s degree from College of Eastern Utah, followed by a number of art history courses and studio art classes at Utah State University in Logan. “In the fall of 1991 I decided I needed a break from school and moved back home to work for a while and spend more time with my sweetheart,” Winn remembers. She married her sweetheart in 1991 and now, with her husband, raises her four children in Ferron.
In 2000, Winn began creating clip-art illustrations for an online company. For the past 10 years, she has produced approximately 700 full-color illustrations for the website. “ I was also chosen by the company to be a featured artist for one of the Provo Craft Hugware clip art CDs,” Winn says. “The entire body of clip-art was rendered in colored pencil with the exception of the last two sets which came out in 2009 and were painted in acrylics. Working on those last clip art sets helped me rediscover my love for painting.”
Now, after a long break from painting, she is ready to produce and show her work again.
“Winn has painted some wonderful pieces that reflect her love of this area,” says gallery director, Noel Carmack. “I think visitors to the exhibit will not only be impressed with her skill, but also her obvious affection for the scenes and subjects found in her rural surroundings.”
Winn’s exhibit, “Legacies of Home: Paintings by KaeLynn Winn,” will be on display from October 8 – November 8 at Gallery East on USU Eastern’s Price campus. An opening reception and artist talk will be held Friday, October 12, from 7-9 p.m. in Gallery East. The gallery is free and open to the public during the academic year.
Gallery East’s fall 2012 hours are Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., closed Fridays, weekends and holidays. If you have any questions, contact Carmack at 435-613-5241 or by email at [email protected].
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