25 West Park Square Marietta, Georgia 30060 [map] 770.427.5377 email: dk@dkGallery.us
Florida native, Kristopher Meadows began his career early in life taking up drawing at the age of three. As a child he developed a strong affinity for the art world as a result of his fascination with comic book illustrations. Kris turned his attention to portraiture around the age of thirteen and quickly developed the skill to "see" and realize a drawing that captured the "spirit and soul" of his subject. He enrolled in a painting seminar at the age of fifteen under the watchful eyes of Albert Handel who saw talent in this young artist and who encouraged Kris to continue in his artistic endeavors. Kris continued on his own teaching himself techniques from art books and methods of painting employed by those he admired.
In 1990, Kris was the first student to be given the honor of a
one-man show while attending Central Florida Community College. Less than a year later he enrolled in the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) on a partial scholarship and quickly caught the attention and admiration of his peers and instructors. He graduated with honors from SCAD in May 1994 with a BFA in Illustration and a minor in Art History. Although
Fine Art was always his first love, Kris's classes in Illustration sharpened his skills in drawing and composition.
Influenced by great portrait artists such as John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn and Joaquin Sorolla, Kris employs a painting technique known as alla prima, Italian for “at the first”. The idea is to capture the essence of the subject in a bold, intuitive way, using vigorous, expressive brushstrokes and minimal color mixing on the palette or support. This technique renders the subject in a fresh, spontaneous and energetic way and keeps the portrait from being overworked and appearing "stiff" or lifeless. In his work, Kris strives to do what the masters of portraiture have done before him - create the illusion of life on a two-dimensional surface and an emotional connection between the image and viewer.
In 1995 Kris met and befriended the parents of Michele Wiles, a young and talented ballerina and star pupil of the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. He was fortunate to have painted her portrait twice and will be painting and sculpting her again in 2007. Michele is now one of the principal dancers for the American Ballet Theater.
In October 2001, Kris achieved the distinction of having favorably impressed distinguished actor Christopher Reeve. Upon being presented with a print of an original Kris Meadows oil painting of the "Superman" character based upon Mr. Reeve's likeness, the famous actor dictated a personal letter of thanks to Kris and had his office completely redesigned to showcase his new acquisition.
In July 2007, Kris had the honor of studying sculpture under world renowned artist Richard MacDonald, creator of “The Flair”, a 26 foot tall bronze statue of an olympic gymnast that commemorated the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta Georgia. It resides at the World Congress Center in Downtown Atlanta. The “Masters’ Workshop” is a week long, intensive training course on sculpting the figure in clay and was held at Mr. MacDonald’s studio in Monterey, California. This workshop is held once a year with a maximum enrollment of 20 students. It is by invitation only upon approval of a submitted portfolio to Mr. MacDonald himself.
Kris has 25 years experience as a painter and teacher and he enjoys empowering his students with the knowledge he’s learned. “My goal as a teacher is to help my students discover the artist that is within each of us. With a little encouragement, time and patience I have helped many students who were discouraged by other teachers or simply thought that they could never be a “real artist”. The truth of the matter is we are the art. Everything we will ever be is already within us. We just have to go inside, find the art and let it out. Of course a great teacher can be of help in this endeavor and that is what I try to be for all my students - a great teacher. My favorite quote is this: ‘If you want to learn something, read about it, if you want to know something, write about it, if you want to understand something, teach it.’”
Kris is a member of the Portrait Society of Atlanta (PSA) and the Portrait Society of America. He received Second Place in the PSA’s Fall 2002 Show, the Member’s Choice Award in the PSA’s Spring 2006 Show (this portrait was displayed at The Cobb Museum of Art for three months) and a Merit Award in the PSA’s Summer 2008 Show (this portrait was displayed at The Cobb Museum of Art for three months). Kris’s painting entitled, My Beloved, appeared in the Access Atlanta magazine section of the August 14, 2008 issue of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Kris’s figurative work has been featured in American Art Collector Magazine including the October 2009 issue dedicated to the Art of the Nude.
Kris currently spends much of his time between painting portraits and figurative images and teaching oil painting classes privately out of his Marietta studio and occasionally at the Atlanta branch of The Savannah College of Art and Design.
