
by Kelsey Holthouse · Federal Way, WA
This piece is an ode to our kitty Indigo
Registered by the artist, Mark attached. How grades work
I’m a self-taught painter based in the Seattle area, where I live with my family and two young sons. Without formal training, I’ve spent the past three years developing my practice through curiosity, experimentation, and a desire to learn. Motherhood has unfolded alongside that process, and painting has become a way of paying closer attention to the world around me. I’m drawn primarily to horses, with occasional landscapes entering my work. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and spending four years in Utah shaped my connection to wide-open spaces, changing landscapes, and the outdoors. Nature and movement often provide the starting point for a painting. Rather than creating realistic portraits, I aim to capture the feeling of a horse in space. I’m drawn to posture, movement, and fleeting moments, often leaving details open to interpretation. My horses typically exist without human interaction, though their gestures may suggest an unseen presence. I’m less interested in technical realism than in what feels true—the way a horse, landscape, or moment can be remembered and felt. I’m continuing to grow into my practice and discover where it will lead. What began as a personal creative pursuit has become an important part of how I experience and interpret the world.
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