Today we’d like to introduce you to Kale Baker.
Kale, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I live and work in Newton New Hampshire. I grew up in Newburyport Massachusetts and took painting classes from a young age. I attended Northern Essex Community College and earned an associates degree in General Art Studies. It was at Northern Essex Community College that I became part of an artistic community and painting gradually transformed from a hobby to a calling.
I then transferred to Montserrat College of Art where I earned my Batchelor Of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing in 2017. Six months after graduation I attended a one-month residency at the Vermont Studio Center after receiving the Emily Mason painting Fellowship.
My work has moved between abstract and the non-objective while consistently carrying undertones of the landscape. In 2018 I have focussed on painting the essence of specific places. Currently, I’m investigating the bog near my home, Newbury Massachusetts marshes and New Hampshire’s White Mountains that I hike regularly. These spaces inspire the imagery and content in my paintings.
My greatest joy is creating a visual language for experience and telling a story through painting that others are free to connect or disconnect with. Now I am showing my work across New England and starting to sell my work on a more regular basis.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Getting to where I am at now hasn’t been a smooth road. After High school, it took me two years to start thinking about going to college. Once I enrolled, I thought I wanted to be a chemist or a marine biologist. When I ran out of art electives at Northern Essex Community College, it finally hit me that I would be kidding myself if I decided to choose anything other than painting as a career.
Although this was a daunting decision financially with many unpredictable outcomes, I knew it was something I had to do. When I transferred to Montserrat College Of Art, I didn’t live on campus. I commuted over an hour each way to school with wet paintings and paint supplies daily. Working part-time and attending school full time with these obstacles was challenging but upon graduation, I walked with a 3.98 GPA and a better head on my shoulders than when I began.
The challenges I face now are similar and different. Living in Newton NH has made participating in the art scene difficult as its so far away from most city art hubs. Thank goodness for online galleries and communities.
What else can you tell us about your work?
I am a painter that abstracts the landscape to various degrees. I’m known for my use of color, mark-making, and movement. I specialize in creating a mood and evoking a sense of place or memory.
What sets me apart from others is my tenacity to show up in the studio and the transparency between how I live my life and how I paint my paintings.
I create experiences to feed my soul and my practice. I put myself in nature so that I can paint it.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe authenticity and hard work are the most important elements of success.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9 Bartlett Street Newton, NH
- Website: kalebakerpaints@gmail.com
- Phone: 978 872 8625
- Instagram: @kalebakerpaints
- Facebook: Kale Baker
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