Lilburn artist finds her true calling in painting
Kim Marks saw her misfortune as an opportunity to try something different. After being caught up in a mass layoff amid the economic slowdown following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Marks saw a chance to jump into something she loves - painting.
"I found a little shop that was just starting," she says. "I showed the owner some of my work and he said I could exhibit with them. I've been showing my work ever since."
Two years ago, Marks - who continued to work in the marketing communications field - rebranded herself and obtained a business license for Kim Marks Art. Her artwork is now displayed and sold in shops in Georgia, North Carolina and Key West, as well as on the internet.
Marks is a whimsical artist, specializing in flowers, roosters and children's art. "I started painting roosters two years ago for the Blue Rooster Cafe (in Lilburn)," she says. "I name them all - which makes it more special when someone buys my roosters. I also have a pretty extensive children's line. I do sports themes, initials, butterflies, fish - anything you would expect to find in a kid's room." Roosters, flowers and hearts are her biggest sellers.
As a child, Marks would watch her grandmother paint. "She quit her job in the 40s to be able to paint full time," she says. "She amused us [Marks and her siblings] by painting." After learning to paint, Marks pursued a commercial and fine arts degree in college - though it would be 20 years before she began selling her work.
"Selling was lots and lots of trial and error," Marks says. "What I particularly love doing is figuring out the sales strategy and creating the artwork. Each year, I introduce something new or reintroduce something I haven't done in a while. It's the full spectrum for me - I'm wearing all the hats right now."
Marks began by selling framed pieces - which posed sales problems. "People had to fall in love with the frame as well as the artwork to justify the expense," she explains. "Sales were flat because people didn't want to buy framed artwork."
Realizing she needed a new tactic, Marks began painting on gallery-wrapped canvas, which doesn't have staples. She also began painting with watercolors and displayed the new items at a show. "It worked beautifully," Marks says. "It was a huge, huge hit at the show. People can dress it up with a frame if they want, but they don't have to."
Marks also recently joined with Artaissance, a Norcross-based online art dealer that features the works of local artists. "They were very taken with the unique style that I have," she says. "They like the vibrant colors and the atypical finish I apply to the paintings."
Marks is now considering pursuing her art full-time.
"I'm having fun doing it and it's what I want to do," she says. "I thoroughly enjoy painting, I love the fact that people buy my artwork."
To see some of Kim Marks artwork, check out www.KimMarksArt.com.
