It’s not uncommon for me to have repeat portrait customers.  But only a handful have returned to me more than five times to add artwork to their collections!

Meet the Nichol’s girls: Amber and Lynn Aaron. For the last six years, I’ve drawn them (and watched them grow up) and their parents have used the image on a Christmas card design that goes out to all of their friends, family, and clients. I’ve really enjoyed it, and wanted to share the progression with you.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

The response to my last video was incredible, and we’ve been working to produce another one for your enjoyment. Nate has learned some new tricks in our video editing software, and we think you’ll like the results.

Many of you have offered to put this on your own blog. Thank you! I welcome that, and it’s also a great way to earn Referral Love Cash! For details, click here.

I have drawn a prominent celebrity, and I hope to be featured on the said celebrity’s TV show. More details to follow, so if you want to be in the loop, make sure you’re subscribed to my blog, YouTube channel, or are a VIP on my site!

Thank you for your continued interest in my work. I really appreciate it!

My Dad came into town for his birthday this past weekend, and we decided to visit The Carter House, a site of one of the most gruesome battles of the Civil War (The Battle of Franklin). Dad’s a history buff, and I came along to support I actually ended up enjoying it a lot, and I learned a couple of things about art that I never knew…

During the tour, our guide Jim pointed to a portrait of a little child. We all assumed that it was a little girl because of the white dress and bonnet that the child was wearing. However, it was common back then to dress little boys in girls’ clothing until the age of 4, sometimes even up to age 7. One way to tell if it was a girl or boy in a painting is to see if there is an animal depicted with the subject. If it was a dog, the child was a boy. If it was a pony or a sheep, the child was a girl!

Below is a great example of such a painting, though no animal is depicted.

Jim went on to tell us that back then, portrait artists would spend all of the cold months painting headless portraits of children and adults in elegant settings with fine clothing and props. Then, when it warmed, they went out and asked people if they wanted their portrait painted, and if they said yes, they would choose a body they liked and have just their heads painted into it. However, if they wanted their own bodies painted into the portrait rather than the generic ones, it would cost them quite a hefty amount more. This is where the saying, “It will cost you an arm and a leg” originated!

Now you know.

I recently had the pleasure of painting Andy Andrews’ little boys.  If you are unfamiliar with Andy, please check out his website! He’s an incredible speaker and a New York Times best-selling author, and a wildly funny and inspirational guy.  Last month, he asked me to create a painting from an adorable photograph of his two boys as a gift to his wife Polly.  Nate and I delivered it last weekend to their home in Orange Beach, AL and spent the weekend with the family.  It was a great time, and when the oldest boy saw it, he exclaimed: “Wow!  You made our butts so lifelike!”  Ha!  How’s that for a quote?  That one may have to make its way over to my Testimonials page.

Below is the painting:

And here is a photo of Nate and I with the Adam and Austin (who are a bit older now):

Many of you are familiar with my painting entitled “Unblemished,” which depicts an old gentleman holding a little lamb.  Some of you have even read my account of how the painting came to be.  What you don’t know yet is that he’s still doing his Santa gig during the holidays, and my husband and I ran into him at Gaylord Opryland’s Hall of Trees, where my artwork is being auctioned this month!

Nate and I were in Jackson, TN for another art show the weekend before Thanksgiving, so we had hired someone to set up our tree and art display at Opryland’s Hall of Trees this year.  When we arrived the next week to see the exhibit, we were surprised with much more!

The Hall of Trees is an amazing display of sponsored trees from different individuals and businesses.  The businesses decorate and donate goods and services, and 17,000+ visitors come through to bid on the trees.  All proceeds go to the charity that the business chooses.  This year, I participated, and I have a tree on display with goods totaling $1900!  The charity I chose to benefit is the Abba House Foundation in Thailand, where I served in 2007.  The Abba House is taking care of girls who have been rescued from brothels, child trafficking, and other abusive or potentially abusive situations. You may visit the Hall of Trees Online for more information on my tree and what is included if you would like to bid.

At any rate, the Hall of Trees is part of a larger event known as Winter Wonderland, complete with photos you can take with Santa while you are there! Wouldn’t you know that I recognized Santa? He was none other than the man I asked to model for “Unblemished.” On his break, he joined us at my tree and we took photos with him. It was a wonderful reunion!

Nate and I had our engagement photos taken last week in downtown Franklin. Here are a few of our favorites from the day. If you’d like to see more of them, visit our wedding website: www.kellyandnate2008.com!