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Artistic Success Means …

Contemporary Artist Kami Mendlik — Kami Mendlik standing in her studio next to her painting “A Scarlet Moment on the Brule,” 40 x 30 in., oil on linen, 2021

Be motivated by Kami Mendlik, an artist who paints contemporary realism landscapes. She says, “Inspiration finds me when I show up. I tell my students, I’m not inspired to paint, painting inspires me! Show up and do the work.”

On Artistic Success

“For me, success is not about ‘being’ successful but living this precious life to its fullest,” says Kami. “To me, the art is our life, and painting is my means of expression and communication. Success for me is the practice of being present in the moment, which is not always easy to do, but it’s a practice I bring awareness to every day. Saying yes to opportunities and painting my way through this journey. Success is being able to wake up and do it again tomorrow.”

Kami has a brand new art video workshop available ~ check out “Mastering Water: The Secrets of Color and Reflection” here, along with her hardcover book, “Color Relativity: Creating the Illusion of Light.”

contemporary realism landscape painting — Kami Mendlik, “Silver Lining,” 30 x 30 in.

“In the beginning, I didn’t think of painting as my career, I just knew I needed to paint. It didn’t even feel like it was a conscious decision at the time, more like an internal drive and desire that couldn’t be ignored. I soon realized that if I were to spend my life painting, I needed to earn a living doing so, and training and education would be necessary in order to become the best I could be.

“Thirty years later, this very not straight and narrow path has led me here, an eternal student of life and painting. My quest for studying the countless nuances of color remains. Painting has supported me and my family for decades now and continues to do so. In 2008, I founded the St Croix River School of Painting in Minnesota where I live, teach, breathe, and paint.”