by Stephanie Byrnes

Since Kinsey Baker has been old enough to hold a crayon, she has pursued art with a strong passion. Inspired by artists of the impressionist movement, like Van Gogh, Kinsey says that her artistic style is “whimsical, organic, and optimistic.”

As I browsed Kinsey’s artwork on display at a local Conway coffee shop, The Brewery, it became very clear to me Kinsey’s talent is a jewel. From her abstract paintings like “Bounciful” to her more perspective and natural artwork like “Soaking It In” and “The Old Man,” Kinsey has an unusual ability to evoke in her audience the very passion she pours into each composition.

“The colors I use are inspired by the emotions I feel while creating a painting, drawing or graphic art piece,” Kinsey said in her artist’s statement. “I truly desire that the viewer catch a personal glimpse of myself through the work.”

I believe Kinsey accomplishes just that. With reoccurring themes such as human emotion expression and nature, Kinsey finds a way through her use of light and color to share deep feeling. And while Kinsey may be only four hours shy of graduating with an art degree from the University of Central Arkansas, you do not have to be a well-versed art scholar to appreciate what she can do on a canvas. 

Kinsey, 22, attributes much of her success and creativity to her parents. “I am blessed to have amazing parents who always encouraged me to pursue my talents even from a very early age,” she said. “I can still remember my mom standing in ridiculously long lines at the Faulkner County Fair just to enter my pencil drawings into the art competitions.”

Kinsey has received many awards and recognitions for her artwork, including being honored as a Mid-Southern Watercolorist scholarship recipient. Her work has been featured in several Arkansas Young Artists Exhibitions and UCA juried exhibitions.

What I found incredibly admirable, however, are Kinsey’s dreams to use her artwork someday to encourage her community. “I really want to organize a community of artists dedicated to keeping the visual arts alive amongst young people in Central Arkansas, while also raising money for health and education missions in third-world countries,” Kinsey envisions.  “It’s a big dream, but it would bridge two of my greatest passions, and I have to start somewhere.”

Kinsey admits that several struggles exist for artists today, however. “During these hard times that our nation is going through, I sometimes feel that art is unnecessary or impractical,” she confesses. “I try to remind myself frequently that when my art is uplifting and insightful, it is serving an essential purpose.” 

Kinsey advises aspiring artists to “find your style, and just keep creating no matter what obstacles you face.”

Kinsey Baker

Hometown:  Conway

Job:  Office assistant at Illustrated Sportswear in Conway, model for Dillard’s, freelance graphic designer, and an art student at the University of Central Arkansas.

Family:  Stephen Baker is my husband, and from helping me make canvases to being patient when I have spilt paint on the kitchen floor, his support is so important to me. Parents – Ken and Denise Moorehead of Greenbrier; , and brother and sister – Landon and Chloe Moorehead.

Hobbies:  Almost anything outdoor related! My husband and I enjoy camping and exploring the Buffalo National Forest area. It seems like we are up there every other weekend. I am also into physical fitness, running in particular. It’s my stress reliever along with music; I have played the cello since I was 12. I also always had this desire to be a pastry chef, so I like to cook a lot as well. Of course, art is a major part of my life, and recently I have become interested in fashion and jewelry design and exploring them as an artistic medium.

Artistic preferences/specialties: The first medium I fell in love with was watercolor, and I still enjoy it, but more recently I have been painting in acrylics and also doing mixed-media work.

Preferred materials:  I like to use a lot of texture on my paintings, so I mix paper, gesso, joint compound, sticks, almost anything to create a feeling of depth. But gesso is probably my favorite material because of its versatility.

Inspirations for art:  By observing every day life and nature scenes. These are the things I can personally relate to the most and they inspire me to re-create them in a way that allows the viewer to see a glimpse of myself through my work.

Where would you like to be in the next five years: I would like to be a well-respected graphic artist and perhaps co-own a gallery.

Kinsey enjoys commissioned paintings and pieces that incorporate photographs (which make wonderful gifts, she suggests), along with graphic design projects. She can be reached at [email protected] for individuals who would like to see more of her work.