Kay Crain

''I paint ordinary people in everyday situations, and that's about all I do.'' -Norman Rockwell

Kay Crain was born into an artistic family in Illinois. Her mother and grandfather were both painters, and her great uncle, Joseph Reidsema, was a plein air painter in California and Michigan during the '30s through the '50s. Needless to say, from an early age, art supplies were always available and creativity strongly encouraged.

Despite her artistic background, Kay received her degree from Western Illinois University in English (secondary) Education, and later completed her studies to become a Registered Nurse. Although seemingly unrelated, Kay partially credits her anatomy and physiology courses for increasing her knowledge of the human form and her ability to paint it.

She continues to work in Maternal Fetal medicine today, but plans to move from her labor and delivery nurse job into full-time painting in a couple years. At that time, she hopes to join art guilds, take lots of painting workshops and court some galleries. "I'd like the world to know that I love what I do and hope it comes through in my paintings. My uncle Max repairs clocks, and he told me he just can't wait to get to his workshop to begin every day. I feel exactly the same way! As soon as I hit the door, on go the painting clothes and away I go. What better job is there?" said Kay.

Kay currently lives and works in Defiance, Missouri, near St. Louis, with her husband (and framer) of 38 years, Larry. She claims her greatest accomplishment is raising two awesome kids who make her laugh almost daily with their unique senses of humor and wow her with their intelligence.
Although primarily self taught, through the years she has taken a number of workshops and classes from teachers such as Peggi Kroll Roberts and Charles Sovek. Her artistic heroes also include artists such as Nicolai Fechin, John Singer Sargent and Norman Rockwell.

Kay's favorite subject to paint is people and she does many portrait commissions, specializing in children's' portraits. She claims to be constantly fascinated by the endless combination of features that make people unique. Although growing up in the flatlands of Illinois, she adores the beach and chooses to feature it prominently in many of her paintings.
The painting on this month's cover was inspired by a photo of a mother and her toddler who are friends of Kay's daughter. "I loved the photo when I saw it and couldn't wait to paint it. The little girl in the painting, Dahlia, has been the subject of several of my paintings... A cute little muse to be sure," Kay said.

Kay is a rising artist who has paintings represented in many corporate and private collections throughout the United States and Europe. She considers herself a contemporary realist with impressionist leanings. She also describes herself as a definite colorist, not a tonalist, and prefers representational art. Her self-described style can be summed up with two words: "not edgy."

To view more of Kay's work, please log onto www.kaycrain.com. To contact the artist, feel free to email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..