The Art of MK Watkins
During the first year of her career, Watkins took a class in oil painting.
“ It was a whole new world. I was just amazed that you could take a brush full of goo and create something so beautiful,” she said.“ I realized that paint doesn’ t go on with technical skill, it goes on with emotion. I’ ve been painting ever since.”
Even after the painting class, Watkins only imagined art as a hobby. She continued with her job with the White Sox until a friend called asking if she could fill in for a fellow teacher’ s maternity leave while Watkins had time in the White Sox off season.
“ I never imagined I would have loved it as much as I did. I loved seeing the students when they finally figured something out,” she said.“ I loved it so much that I quit my job and went back to school to become a teacher.”
While teaching her class of 47 first graders, Watkins met her husband, who taught eighth grade at the same school. The two married and three years later, Watkins quit teaching to raise their first child.
“ When the fourth child arrived, I set up a studio in our two-car garage,” she said.“ I painted every day with the goal of entering my work in competitions.”
In 1997, when all of her children were grown, Watkins began accepting work from Indianapolis area school. She painted murals on school walls for the next 14 years, painting everything from waterfalls, parks, endangered animals, and more, on walls up to 100-feet long and 10-feet high.
“ I had every kid in the school helping me. I would ask the kids to draw what they wanted to see in the murals and then I would tweak them,” she said.“ It was a great way to combine my love for painting and my love for working with kids.”
Her murals are featured at numerous schools and public buildings including
Anderson High School, First Presbyterian Church in Anderson, the Alexandria Public Library and many more. During that time, she also taught art classes to children at the Anderson Center for the Arts.
“ I love working with kids,” Watkins said.“ They are just so anxious to learn.”
Watkins and her husband Jim moved to Nashville three years ago where she began working in her studio full time.
“ I still sometimes feel guilty because I get paid to do what I love,” she said.“ I don’ t even care if people don’ t buy the paintings because I’ m painting what I want and I like them. Usually my favorite painting is the one I just finished.”
Watkins is a member of the Art Alliance of Brown County; a resident artist for Arthrogyposis Multiples Congenital Support Inc.; a resident artist and board member for Gateway Association, Inc. in Anderson; a teaching artist at the Madison
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