There’s a moment every college-bound girl experiences—usually somewhere between buying extra-long twin sheets and arguing over whether the rug is too small—when it hits her: This is my space now. Not your childhood bedroom. Not your parents’ house. Your first real taste of independence.

And if you’re heading to a Southern campus, you already know something important: first impressions matter. A lot.  Your dorm room doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be fancy. But it should feel intentional.

That’s exactly why I created my College Dorm Room Print Series.

Link to the College Dorm Print:  https://www.kathrynpricefineart.com/collections/224755

Why Dorm Art Matters More Than You Think

Most dorm rooms start the same way—white walls, fluorescent lighting, and a whole lot of temporary. The temptation is to fill the space with whatever’s trendy, mass-produced, and easy to toss at the end of the year.

But here’s the thing: when a room feels pulled together, you feel more grounded.

Art has a quiet power. It softens a space. It gives your eyes a place to rest. And—without saying a word—it tells people a little something about you.  Not loud. Not too try-hard.  Just confident.

Sophisticated, Not Kitsch

These prints are intentionally different from typical dorm posters. They aren’t designed to shout or compete with everything else in the room. They’re meant to elevate it.

Each piece in this series balances color, composition, and mood—whether it’s calming blues and greens, soft florals with feminine charm, or bold color for girls who love a statement.

Think:

• Relaxed enough to unwind after a long day
• Polished enough to feel grown-up
• Pretty without being precious

In other words: art that grows with you.

A Southern Girl’s Take on New Independence

There’s something special about Southern culture—it values tradition, hospitality, and personal style. Your dorm room becomes a small reflection of all three.

This collection was created for the girl who wants her space to feel:

• Welcoming
• Thoughtfully curated
• A little more refined than the average dorm

The kind of room that says, Yes, I’m new here—but I know who I am.

Made to Last Beyond Move-In Day

Each print is produced on luxurious, heavyweight fine art paper, because quality matters. These aren’t meant to be disposable. They’re meant to move with you—from dorm room to apartment, from college years into whatever comes next.

That’s part of learning independence too: choosing pieces that last.

A Note for the Moms

If you’re helping your daughter prepare for college, these prints make a meaningful gift. They’re beautiful, useful, and personal, something she’ll see every day as she settles into a new chapter.

It’s a way to send her off with something comforting, familiar, and thoughtfully chosen.

Final Thought

Your dorm room doesn’t need to look like anyone else’s.  It just needs to feel like yours.  And if a little beautiful art helps make that happen? Even better. 

Welcome to independence—Southern style.

Link to the College Dorm Print Series:  https://www.kathrynpricefineart.com/collections/224755

If you’ve ever looked at an oil painting and thought, “I wish I could do that,” then this class is for you.

Starting Monday, September 8, 2025, I’m teaching a 9-week Bootcamp for Beginners: Learn to Paint in Oil right here in my studio at 315 White Street SE, Huntsville. Classes meet from 5:00–7:30 p.m. every Monday night through November 3.

No experience? No problem. This course is built for absolute beginners who want to gain confidence and skills in oil painting.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to “see” like an artist

• Basic values and palette organization

• Color mixing techniques

• How to paint simple fruit studies

• How to create a finished still life

Each week builds on the last. We start with simple exercises and grow toward completing a painting you’ll be proud of.

The cost is $275 for the full 9-week course. Supplies are not included, but once you sign up, I’ll send you a detailed supply list with recommendations.

Payment is due by September 1, 2025 to hold your spot, and class size is limited.

If you've been wanting to explore oil painting in a supportive, low-pressure environment, this is your sign. Join us!

To register, send me a message or email me directly — I can’t wait to paint with you.

#ArtClass

#BeginnerArtist

#OilPaintingClass

#PaintingWorkshop

#LearnToPaint

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#HuntsvilleArtist

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#ArtInAlabama

#LocalArtClasses

Tribute to a Teacher: Thank You, Mrs. Gray

Middle school is that universal rite of passage where everyone feels awkward, insecure, and vaguely smells like gym socks and pencil shavings. When my now-grown children trudged through it, I recognized the haunted look. I still flinch when I drive past a middle school. It’s not PTSD, exactly—more like a prolonged cringe.

But in the chaos of braces, bad haircuts, and puberty-fueled drama, there were moments of pure, inexplicable joy. And for me, one of those bright spots was Mrs. Gray—my 6th to 8th grade art teacher.

Now, let me be clear: I was not an artist. I was good at math and science, a solid, dependable student. But art? That felt like a mysterious, magical realm for kids who owned sketchbooks and doodled during homeroom. I did not. I was more of a "almost neatly colored within the lines" kind of girl. And yet, Mrs. Gray saw something in me. Why? I have no idea. But she chose to invest her time, energy, and heart.

She wasn’t just an art teacher—she was a gentle life coach in sensible shoes. She pushed me to take creative risks, to stretch beyond what felt comfortable. She did it with kindness and patience and probably a lot of suppressed laughter. I will never forget the Picasso unit in 8th grade. We were tasked with creating a cubist-style house in bright colors. My two-story watercolor creation came together in a way that surprised even me. For the first time, I understood how art could feel alive—how the pieces could work together in ways that didn’t have to be perfect to be powerful.

When I turned in my piece, I was proud. But the look in Mrs. Gray’s eyes? That was gold.

Unbeknownst to me, she entered it in the school art show—and it won. I was stunned. When the principal announced the award over the intercom, you could hear the collective gasp of every classmate who had ever seen me awkwardly trudge through life.

The piece even went on to a district-wide show. My parents drove me to see it, cheerfully calling me “Little Rembrandt” the whole way. But let’s just say my artistic style was… ahead of its time. They took one look at my bright, abstract house and offered a polite silence. That was the last we spoke of my art career.

When high school rolled around, I told them I wanted to take art. My parents, ever practical, said, “You’re taking Latin.” I was obedient and reasonably terrified, so Latin it was. I ended up majoring in something useful (translation: job-safe) and became a software engineer.

But after I turned 50, life threw me a curveball—the kind that makes you rethink everything. I picked up a paintbrush again. I wish I still had that 8th grade masterpiece, but I do have my first adult oil painting. It’s terrible. Like, truly awful. But it reignited something I thought I had lost.

Fast forward nearly 15 years: I now run a thriving art business. I paint, I exhibit, I sell. I still keep my "good job," but art has given me a second life.

So, this is wildly overdue, but: Thank you, Mrs. Gray. For seeing me. For encouraging me. For entering that wonky cubist house into the art show. You planted a seed, and I’m finally living the dream.

Better late than never, right?

#ThankYouTeacher #MiddleSchoolMemories #ArtTeacherLove #FromSTEMtoStudio #LateBloomerArtist #CreativeJourney #MrsGrayMadeMeDoIt #CubistDreams #ArtChangedMyLife #NeverTooLateToCreate #GratitudeInColor #InspiredToPaint #ArtHeals #LifeInBrushstrokes #HonorYourMentors #decaturcityschools #oakparkmiddleschool 

As an oil painter, I’ve accepted that my wardrobe is basically a timeline of bad decisions. I have “painting clothes,” which are glorified rags, and “about-to-be-painting clothes,” which were once perfectly nice but fell victim to one rogue brush flick. Oil paint does not mess around—it’s like glitter’s meaner, more committed cousin. Once it’s on your clothes, it’s basically squatter’s rights.

Enter my savior: Krud Kutter by Rust-Oleum. This magical elixir doesn’t just remove paint—it removes regret. If you catch the paint while it’s still fresh, Krud Kutter gets it out like it was never there. If the paint’s a couple of days old? Still works like a champ. Over a week old? Well… it’s more of a slow negotiation, but it will come out. Just saturate the spot with Krud Kutter, toss it in the wash on hot, and pray to the laundry gods. If the stain survives round one, hit it again and show it who's boss.

I’ve used it so much, I should honestly get sponsored—or at least a punch card. “Ten shirts cleaned, one free existential crisis.”

Thanks to Krud Kutter, I now approach painting with slightly less panic and slightly cleaner pants. My clothes still suffer, but at least they have hope. As for my carpet? That’s a different blog—and possibly a crime scene. 

#KrudKutter #PaintStainRemoval #ArtistLaundryHack #CleaningWin #RustOleumMagic  #OilPaintingLife #ArtistProblems #PainterHumor #StudioMess #PaintingInProgress #CreativeChaos

Speeding down the interstate, surrounded by the relentless roar of engines and the blur of cars weaving through lanes, I almost missed it — a breathtaking field of wildflowers stretching endlessly beside the road. The sky above was a soft canvas, with clouds melting gently into the blooms below, blending shades of delicate pinks and vibrant greens into a living watercolor. The contrast between the frantic pace of the highway and this quiet explosion of natural beauty struck me deeply. In that fleeting moment, I felt a sudden, urgent need to capture this harmony of color and calm. The wildflowers seemed to whisper a reminder: even amidst life’s busiest rush, moments of pure inspiration bloom quietly, waiting for us to notice and create.

If you've been wondering where I’ve been lately, the short answer is: on the couch and in the bed with an ice pack. In December, I had ACL surgery, and the recovery has been no joke—long, brutal, and humbling. It’s the kind of healing that tests your patience, your creativity, and your ability to sit still (which, if you know me, is not my strong suit).

The hardest part hasn't just been physical. It’s been the distance from my easel, the quiet in the studio, and the way a long recovery can make time feel like it’s moving in slow motion. But while I haven’t been standing in front of canvases as much as I’d like, I’ve still been learning, growing, and dreaming up what’s next.

During this downtime, I took a couple of wonderful workshops focused on painting with a palette knife. These sessions have opened up a whole new way of working—mysterious, expressive, and just a little wild. The knife has allowed me to approach my art with what I’ve come to call structured looseness—a balance between intentional design and painterly freedom. I've been applying these lessons as I revisit and refine my landscapes, florals, and figurative pieces. The palette knife has become a tool for both discipline and discovery, helping me move away from overly tight compositions and toward a looser, more expressive style. There’s something powerful about letting the texture and movement speak, letting the painting emerge rather than controlling every detail.

 This season of recovery has reminded me that art isn’t just about production. It’s about evolution, exploration, and sometimes, slowing down enough to see things differently. I’m looking forward to sharing these new works with you as they take shape. They carry the marks of rest, resilience, and the unexpected paths that healing can lead us down.

Thank you for your patience, your encouragement, and for sticking with me—even when my paintbrush had to take a temporary pause. I’m inching back into the studio, palette knife in hand, and I can’t wait to show you what’s been waiting to come to life.

Stay tuned—and stay inspired.

I am a very patriotic person and the Fourth of July is just around the corner, I thought I would put my own take on my love for Blue and White with the occasional red pops of color.   

I think the blue and white vases, with or without flowers, are a fun thing to paint.  What I love about blue and white vases is that they are all different since the porcelain is hand painted by artisans. In each of my paintings, I have shown a way to make the blue and white pick up reflective color of the scene.

I enjoy the outdoors but I don't enjoy camping.  My husband and both my boys are Eagle Scouts, so I can say that I have done my fair share of camping.  Not that I am a pro but I do enjoy fly fishing.  My husband and I have fished the rivers and streams in the Appalachian Mountains as well as in Colorado and New Mexico.  We have both waded the streams and we have floated down the rivers in drift boats.  I prefer the drift boats because the rocks are tough on the knees and ankles

The inspiration from fly fishing helped me create a new series of fly fishing paintings.

I hope you enjoy my inspiration for a series of fly fishing paintings.

Regards,

Kathryn Price

I have been inspired by the latest blasts of spring and my all time favorite flower is a peony.  I love "fun facts to know and tell!"  Here are some interesting information about peonies to share with your friends:

• In Japanese culture, peonies symbolize prosperity, good luck, and honor
• In the Chinese culture, peonies represent friendship and feminine beauty
• In Europe, peonies are cultivated for fragrances.

Why are peonies so expensive?

• More importantly, peonies have a very short growing season.
• The main peony growing season in the continental U.S. is in the spring-April through June.
• Now growers in Alaska are starting to grow peonies during the summer months , but the supply is limited

Here are some of my most recent peony paintings.  All are for sale and as soon as I get the pictures professionally photographed, I will post on my website. 

I hope you are having a wonderful day and you too love peonies!

Kathryn Price