The Wellington Art Society will feature Stuart artist Chris Kling as demonstrator at the Wednesday, Oct. 11 meeting held at the Wellington Community Center.
Kling will be doing a plein air demonstration before the meeting beginning at 6 p.m. in order to catch the evening light. Members and guests are invited to paint along with her. Refreshments will be available during the painting demo. After sunset at 7 p.m., there will be a brief meeting, followed by the member spotlight and raffle. The meeting is open to all members and guests.
Kling is a Tennessee native and received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Alabama. She is married and has lived in many Florida cities and abroad in Singapore. Kling and her husband currently reside in Stuart.
Kling works predominately in oils because “the richness draws you into its depths and you can swim in it.” Her portraits show not only the person’s likeness, but their personality, producing a finished painting that a family can cherish. Her landscapes combine plein air painting and working from photographs. Plein air provides a true vision of perspective and color, and the photos give her the instant gesture or play of light. Composition, light, shadow and color give an emotional quality to her landscapes.
Kling has participated in workshops by Mary Britton Lynch, Morgan Samuel Price, Joe Taylor and Larry Moore. She has done portrait workshops with Ann Kenyon, Daniel Greene, Steven Assael and Rob Liberace. She has attended the Portrait Arts Festival in Montgomery, Ala., and the Portrait Society of America conference in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, which draws portrait artists from all over the world. She is a member of the Portrait Society of America, Plein Air Florida, Oil Painters of America and Women Painters of the Southeast.
Kling’s latest venture is the Kling Gallery, Wine & Decor, which will be opening at 723 Colorado Ave. in Stuart in November. It will be a family business with her husband, son and daughter-in-law, and will feature her artwork, a working studio and an area for workshops. Her husband, Bill, will enjoy his passion for wine with a Napa-style tasting room. Her son, Billy, builds furniture, while his wife, Amanda, does décor.
“I think I am so fortunate to be able to do work that I love and at the same time be able to provide someone with a slice of time in a loved one’s life,” Kling said.
For further information visit www.wellingtonartsociety.org.
