Coloring Our World

Madeline Kennon’s art is inspired by the beauty around her

 

By Jennifer McKee | Photos courtesy of Madeline Kennon

 

Creating art has always been Madeline Kennon’s passion. The Athens native remembers participating in art shows as a child, being drawn to anything colorful. 

“Art class was always my favorite part of the day,” she says. It’s something she passed along to her children, who, even though they are quite small, can still participate in the creative process. 

“We love to paint. We love to make a mess,” says Kennon. “It’s fun to share that with little ones because kids interpret freely. They’re not scared of messing up. They just go for it.”

And it’s not just her own children. Kennon has also shared her gifts with the children she’s been a nanny and a schoolteacher to, drawing inspiration from the world around her. 

An art degree was Kennon’s original plan, but as she progressed in her education, she felt it wasn’t where she was supposed to be at the time and switched to education. In her senior year of college, she moved into a large house, and its empty walls made Kennon realize she missed painting. Her passion reignited; she began painting for friends. It then became her side hustle. Kennon would come home from teaching, work on paintings, and take them to the markets in the fall. 

After her third year of teaching, COVID-19 hit; later her husband got a job in Atlanta. 

“I wasn’t going to start a new teaching job in the middle of that,” says Kennon. “I thought, ‘I’m going to try art full time.’” She picked up a nanny job, which then became a side hustle. 

And with a newborn and two-year-old, Kennon now has the time to realize her passion while working from home.

“I still do what I love and also provide for my family,” she says. 

Kennon’s favorite medium to work in is acrylics, which she says allows her the freedom to experiment. 

“I obsess with color and using it in unexpected ways,” says Kennon, who loves seeing the blessing that is this beautiful world and delving deeper into it.

“I don’t just see the blues and greens,” she says. “I see the pinks and the oranges. I’m really just enhancing the beauty that’s already there.”

Kennon’s most popular topics include flowers, marshes, mountains, churches, people’s homes, their pets and anything that will bring a smile to her and her clients’ faces. Approximately 95% of her work is done on commission, but she also works on special collections. Her newest pieces are holiday ornaments adorned with pet portraits, homes or churches. 

To purchase a piece of artwork or ornament or to reach out for a commission visit madelinekennonstudio.com and instagram.com/madelinekennonstudio