Kayla Weber Nord makes many of her paintings in her studio at Springhouse Gardens, the Nicholasville-based garden center that her family owns. Photo by Brooke Bailey
Kayla Weber Nord wears many hats: She’s an artist running a small business, a part-time wedding planner for The Barn at Springhouse Gardens, a co-founder of a local networking group geared toward female entrepreneurs called Creative Collective and, until recently, taught elementary school art full-time.
Nord graduated in 2012 with a double major in education and studio art from Transylvania University. Soon after graduating, she found herself spending much of her spare time making custom paintings for friends and family at $50 a pop – never thinking until recently that art could be a profitable full-time career for herself.
“I didn’t want to be an artist with a gallery that had to paint all of these weird, meaningful things that people don’t want to hang in their house,” she said. “I was always painting things that I would want to hang up.”
As it turns out, people appreciated Nord’s paintings, which often focused on abstract, cotton-candy-colored Kentucky landscapes.
After teaching art during the day and rushing home at 3 p.m. to finish up commissions for her clients, Nord rounded off her busy schedule on the weekends helping her mom coordinate weddings at The Barn at Springhouse Gardens, the Nicholasville garden center her parents have owned since she was 6 years old. With an increasingly busy schedule, she started making prints of her original paintings a few years back, which is when her business as an artist really started to take off.
“Prints are why I was able to sustain my income in the beginning,” Nord explained, adding that it allowed her to produce and sell more work, participate in artist markets and expand the reach of her work, while still allowing time to focus on creating new original pieces at the same time.
That glint of success ultimately prompted her to quit her teaching job last year to focus on her artwork.
It’s a decision that has since paid off in an unexpected way: After amassing nearly 15,000 followers on Instagram, Nord’s art caught the attention of Anthropologie, the popular international chain store known for its unique, highly curated selection of home and style items.
Nord’s hand-painted vintage globes caught the attention of Anthropologie. The national chain now carries three versions of Nord’s “Wanderlust” globe on its website. Photo by Brooke Bailey
Inspired by her love for travel, the young artist had collected several antique globes last fall, hand-painting them using her typical pastel color scheme and then releasing a collection all at once. After the entire collection sold out in two hours, she released another set of globes last December right before Christmas, which all sold out quickly again.
That’s when Anthropologie representatives took notice of her work on Instagram and reached out. This fall, their stores will start carrying a line of decorative globes that Nord designed.
“They emailed me last year in November, and at first I literally thought it was a joke,” Nord recalled. While she was excited about the opportunity, she was also nervous at first that the mass reproductions would somehow undervalue the original globes. Ultimately, she decided to move forward with the deal, taking into account that unlike her paintings, the globes aren’t really her signature form of work but rather an opportunity for increased exposure and a chance to reach an entire new audience (Anthropologie includes artist bios on its product pages).
The Anthropologie globes feature reproductions of her original, hand-painted designs and come in three different size and color variations. Although she’s not sure when or if they’ll be in stores, they’re currently available online and Anthropologie will be selling them for two years.
“It looks so glamorous, but really I just painted three flat globes,” she said with a laugh.
In addition to planning a series of travel-themed paintings, Nord is working on a new collection of work, which she will debut at the Hunt Morgan House for the Nov. 16 LexArts Gallery Hop. She’s excited to wrap up a new collection of work, with prints of her new paintings available just in time for the holidays.
For more information about Nord orto purchase some of her work, visit www.kaylaweberart.com.
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Kentucky landscapes and horses are favorite subjects for Nord’s paintings. Photo by Brooke Bailey
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Kentucky landscapes and horses are favorite subjects for Nord’s paintings. Photo by Brooke Bailey
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Kentucky landscapes and horses are favorite subjects for Nord’s paintings. Photo by Brooke Bailey
Q&A with Kayla Weber Nord
What is your creative process like? My creative process is always different, and it really depends on what I’m creating. If I’m working on a series of work, I’m excited and get into the “artistic flow” easily and will work for hours without stopping. For things like commissions, the creativity is a little forced due to the nature of having someone tell you what they want, but there is definitely still a flow that I have to get in.
What are some things inspiring you right now? My new studio at Springhouse Gardens and all of the beautiful weddings we’ve been having lately at The Barn at Springhouse.
What medium do you prefer to work with? I prefer to work in acrylic because it’s fast paced. I loved oil, but the dry time just doesn’t work with my schedule and turnaround time. Acrylic is so fun because I can build on the texture and rework it quickly.
Where do you like to shop in Lexington? My favorite places to shop in Lexington are all the cute shops downtown like Serendipity, Bluetique and Calypso. I also love E. Leigh’s, Frye and Madewell in the Summit.
What are your must-have fall accessories? A great pair of booties, a long-sleeved dress, statement earrings and a scarf!
What is your favorite trip you’ve been on? Probably my first trip abroad with my husband when we went on a month-long backpacking trip through Europe. I’m also a little biased toward this trip because we got engaged during it in Italy.
What are your favorite hidden gems in Lexington? I don’t think it’s really hidden anymore, but I love a trip to Wallace Station. Another favorite would be El Rancho Tapatio — best Mexican restaurant in Lexington!