THE PHILOSOPHY. Kim Van Stygeren Medland is a contemporary portrait artist. Using her intuitive sense of psychology, Kim creates work that is more complex and inviting than traditional portraits. Each piece directly reflects the qualities residing in her portrait subjects and as no two people are alike, her art shows a remarkable diversity from piece to piece.
KIM VAN STYGEREN MEDLAND studied art in Paris in the early 1980s, and spent the next few years in New York City. In the last two decades she has created portraits of an eclectic variety of individuals ranging from movie stars and musicians, to executives and philanthropists. The move into an 1820's Mennonite farm property enabled her to convert her post and beam barn into an ideal studio space – big, light-filled and the view from the second floor where she paints looks out over cherry orchards.
Kim's work has been featured on various television stations including Bravo Arts Channel and Star!TV. She works from her own photographs of each subject and travels from her studio to complete commissions all over North America. Her artwork is in private and public collections in the United States, Canada, France, Holland and Australia.
THE CREATIVE PROCESS begins with a relaxed interaction between Kim and her subject through a series of informal photo shoots. Here she is as much interested in learning about her subjects' life and work as she is in understanding the physical characteristics of their face, hands and posture. The actual painting process which involves arranging the composition of the piece, assimilating the range of the subject, the muscle structure and facial expressions, takes approximately three months. The subject is welcome to visit the studio to view the finished work, or it will be shipped to them. Special rush orders will be considered on an individual basis but generally it takes six to twelve months from start to finish.
