The Iconic Portraits Of Artist Carrie Kilgore

Carrie Kilgore is a nationally and internationally collected visual artist based in St. Petersburg, Florida. She specializes in creating large-scale oil portraits of other iconic artists that have positively impacted her life and studio practice. Frida Kahlo, Yayoi Kusama, Keith Richards and Lady Gaga are just a few of the artists that Carrie has painted. Her goal is to capture the essence of the individual.

The artist lives and works in Saint Petersburg, Florida. She graduated with a BFA from Ohio University in 2014, with a focus in Painting and Drawing. Her signature oil portraits were influenced by Kehinde Wiley and Chuck Close. “I always start a painting with the eyes. Once they’re sunken into the canvas, you immediately begin to see and understand that person for who they are. And then I build out from there, and start piecing the face together. It’s a beautiful process to watch as a person comes to life on canvas.”

Carrie’s portrait paintings reflect the admiration she has for other artists. Her current body of work, ICONS, incorporates a new style, a transformation, from Carrie’s earlier works. She combines traditional portraiture with a contemporary twist. As each artist has a unique way of influencing Carrie, she assembles his or her face together in a unique way that best captures the spirit and character of that particular individual. The work is visually rich and meaningful, with vibrant color and playfulness.

We recently had the pleasure to chat with Carrie to learn more about her art career and current projects:

Q – What is the best part about being an artist, and how did you get started on this path?

A – The best part about being an artist is the ability to create a connection with others through my work. I love talking with collectors and supporters about my process, ideas and techniques. I’ve been creating art since I was in elementary school, and I was fortunate that my high school art teacher and my parents encouraged me to go to art school. I studied painting and drawing at Ohio University, and that’s where I picked up portrait painting. Up until that time, I didn’t know how to paint a realistic eye or how to paint lips. But everything just started making sense to me and I’ve been painting faces ever since then. After graduation in 2014, I moved to Florida, and now I live and work in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Q – Where does your inspiration come from?

A – I find (color) inspiration everywhere, but mostly in hidden spaces. The colors that I use in my backgrounds are often colors I find in nature. For example, I found a lot of older wooden doors when I was in Italy, and the paint on the door was beautifully cracked and peeling away. I was so drawn to that! I took multiple photos of the brilliant greens and teals, and those colors found their way into my paintings.

Q – You have a very unique style of work, can you tell us about your process?

A – Over the last three years I’ve been experimenting with portrait work and created a new signature style.  For my new portraits, I pick and choose which part of the face to paint realistically, and which part of the face to leave out completely. This allows the viewer to see just enough and still recognize the sitter. My process involves a lot of decision-making. These decisions are made when I’m at the easel and when I’m not at the easel. If I paint something that doesn’t look good, I’ll wipe it off and try something different. It’s a fun process to keep experimenting and exploring.

Q – Is there an artist (past or present) who you admire most, or who may have influenced your style?

A – I learned about Kehinde Wiley’s portrait work while I was in college. Wiley’s paintings definitely impacted my life and work, and motivated me to paint large-scale portraits. He still motivates me to this day, and I made a painting of him in my new signature style to represent the admiration I have for his work.


Q – How do you navigate the art world, are there any trends you follow?

A – I try not to follow any trends. I focus on what I want to make and how to keep pushing my portrait work to the next level.

Q – Can you tell us about your recent exhibition at Gasparilla Festival of the Arts that took place February 29 – March 1? And are there any new projects or events on the horizon that you can share with us?

A – I will be working on custom portrait paintings. I can share that one of my clients wants to create a painting inspired from the famous painting “American Gothic” by Grant Wood. So I’m looking forward to creating a contemporary version with them with my signature style.

To learn more about this fascinating artist, for sales, commissions, general inquires or future show information, email CKilgoreart@gmail.com and visit https://www.carrievsmith.com/. The artist also offers limited edition prints and art merchandise, click here to view prints, tote bags, greeting cards, coffee cups and more.