Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamie Koplin.
Hi Jamie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started making art as a kid in elementary school, starting with crayons and pencils and eventually evolving to colored pencils, different types of paints, and even taking a pottery class and working in fabric arts. These days I’m primarily focused on watercolor, ink, and knitting.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My journey has definitely not been smooth; I don’t think many artists do have it easy. From helping raise my siblings when I was a child, myself, I had to “grow up” very quickly. I’ve worked my whole life – child care, babysitting, cleaning houses, mowing lawns, and walking dogs until I was old enough to get a work permit at 15 to work in a veterinary hospital. I found that a lot of my problem-solving skills came from art and being able to see the world through an artist’s eye. I’ve definitely seen my fair share of struggles, and am always so grateful to have art as not only an escape but a therapeutic experience.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I absolutely love creating with just about any sort of material or medium. I primarily paint, sketch, or knit. I always bring my travel watercolor kit with me just about everywhere I go. I really enjoy urban sketching, which is when you sketch what you see on site. I love it because it’s such a nice way to record what’s going on in this area at this time. Anyone can take a picture, but I think it’s special to have a drawing or painting of that same place. What I’m most known for are my watercolor paintings, though. What sets me apart from other artists is my style, of course. I always lead with a fine arts approach, and I put my love of graphic novel illustration on top of that.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Most of the art I see is primarily digital these days, and that trend has been around for a while now. I’m an analog girl trying to survive in this digital world. It’s so much rarer to see something that was actually made by hand now. I much prefer the skill, time, and thought that go into making an actual drawing on paper or painting on canvas. For me, those analog things are a lot harder and much more valuable because of the forethought and flexibility of mind needed. They require a good amount of adjusting to “Happy Accidents” that can’t be corrected but demand an artist to re-envision and work with the mistakes, imperfections, and color bleeds that are bound to happen. The big shift I think we need to see is that there’s major value to a handmade piece of art. I believe people will actually start to remember that in the next 5-10 years.
Pricing:
- $80.00
- $1000.00
Contact Info:
- Website: JamieKoplin.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/jamiekoplinstudios?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
Image Credits
All photos taken by Jamie Koplin
