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KC Christmas is a contemporary painter and collage artist living and working in South Carolina. Known for her unique interpretations of florals, she takes inspiration from the Old Masters of art history and combines them with current, relevant topics. Her work explores the depth of human emotion and complexity - from snarky humor to meditative worship. Her work has been exhibited in many shows across the United States as well as other countries including Egypt and the United Kingdom. Recently, she had her debut solo show "Selah" in Greenville, South Carolina. She has won multiple awards with her works and earned a residency with the South Carolina State Parks in 2022. She has also been published in multiple sources including Tapas Magazine and TWIRL: a Decade of Artist Interviews.
Published on April 1st, 2025. Artist responses collected in months previous.
Talk about some of the logistics of your art practice. What systems do you have in place to help streamline your workflows?
In my studio, everything has a place. I have a cabinet that is only for bits and bobs and papers. I have one section that houses my panels or unfinished works. I also have a closet that is filled with all of my shipping and packaging supplies. By having that organization, it helps me work better. Granted, sometimes it gets super cluttered and I have to deep clean once a year, but I definitely find I'm more productive when I know where things are. I also spend the first part of my time in the studio taking care of any shipping or packaging needs. This way, I get it out of the way and can focus on making art when I'm more creatively awake in the mid-morning.
What is some advice for someone who does not have any experience and who would like to pursue a career like yours?
My biggest advice would be don't be afraid to jump right in and just make a go at it. You're going to have learn a lot of things as you go and no amount of training and research is going to make you feel fully prepared. You will make mistakes and you will grow from them. Another piece of advice I would give is to volunteer at events that interest you. If you're interested in showing in a gallery, become involved in their events to see how it is run behind the scenes. If you're interested in art markets or fairs, volunteer there. You'd be surprised what you learn when you're involved in the background.
What was the lowest point in your art career and how did you overcome those adversities?
The lowest point has probably been this year. Many good things have happened this year for my career - multiple gallery shows, art markets, art website progress, etc. And while many good things happened, I was not as productive as I would like to be. In between teaching, second pregnancy, and life in general, the studio has been a ghost town. What has helped me is recognizing that this is just a season of life. I will get back in the studio soon (even if it is for little stretches at a time) and then I can continue to make art.
How did you come into the type of artwork you are doing now?
Because of my limited time in the studio, I've really been pursuing whatever interests me and encouraging myself to have fun. This past year, I created art inspired by both art history as well as local nature. Both themes take smaller elements from a large group (still life pieces or close up shots of leaves) and focus on those elements. While each body of work has been a fun pursuit, they each speak to me in different ways. The close up nature paintings allow me to practice and challenge my technical skill as an acrylic painter. The still life paintings taken from art history have been great design challenge and I can't wait to create a few more.
What was an epiphany in your art practice that took you to the next level?
My art isn't for everyone. By personality, I do like to please people. And I'm lucky enough that I have a range of artistic skill so I'm not pigeon-holed into only one genre or style. However, making art that I love has always been a priority. It is only when I allowed myself to be ok with making art that resonated with few rather than many that I felt liberation. Not everything I make will speak to even my loyalest collector. If I continue to pursue making things I love, my art will only bloom and grow.
Talk about some of the logistics of your art practice. What systems do you have in place to help streamline your workflows?
In my studio, everything has a place. I have a cabinet that is only for bits and bobs and papers. I have one section that houses my panels or unfinished works. I also have a closet that is filled with all of my shipping and packaging supplies. By having that organization, it helps me work better. Granted, sometimes it gets super cluttered and I have to deep clean once a year, but I definitely find I'm more productive when I know where things are. I also spend the first part of my time in the studio taking care of any shipping or packaging needs. This way, I get it out of the way and can focus on making art when I'm more creatively awake in the mid-morning.
What is some advice for someone who does not have any experience and who would like to pursue a career like yours?
My biggest advice would be don't be afraid to jump right in and just make a go at it. You're going to have learn a lot of things as you go and no amount of training and research is going to make you feel fully prepared. You will make mistakes and you will grow from them. Another piece of advice I would give is to volunteer at events that interest you. If you're interested in showing in a gallery, become involved in their events to see how it is run behind the scenes. If you're interested in art markets or fairs, volunteer there. You'd be surprised what you learn when you're involved in the background.
What was the lowest point in your art career and how did you overcome those adversities?
The lowest point has probably been this year. Many good things have happened this year for my career - multiple gallery shows, art markets, art website progress, etc. And while many good things happened, I was not as productive as I would like to be. In between teaching, second pregnancy, and life in general, the studio has been a ghost town. What has helped me is recognizing that this is just a season of life. I will get back in the studio soon (even if it is for little stretches at a time) and then I can continue to make art.
How did you come into the type of artwork you are doing now?
Because of my limited time in the studio, I've really been pursuing whatever interests me and encouraging myself to have fun. This past year, I created art inspired by both art history as well as local nature. Both themes take smaller elements from a large group (still life pieces or close up shots of leaves) and focus on those elements. While each body of work has been a fun pursuit, they each speak to me in different ways. The close up nature paintings allow me to practice and challenge my technical skill as an acrylic painter. The still life paintings taken from art history have been great design challenge and I can't wait to create a few more.
What was an epiphany in your art practice that took you to the next level?
My art isn't for everyone. By personality, I do like to please people. And I'm lucky enough that I have a range of artistic skill so I'm not pigeon-holed into only one genre or style. However, making art that I love has always been a priority. It is only when I allowed myself to be ok with making art that resonated with few rather than many that I felt liberation. Not everything I make will speak to even my loyalest collector. If I continue to pursue making things I love, my art will only bloom and grow.
Find KC Christmas on Instagram
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