Jackie Koenig
Experimenting with color, composition, shapes, and emotion has been exhilarating, to say the least.
Are you inspired by your surroundings or drawn to your surroundings because it inherently motivates you? After speaking with local artist Jackie Koenig, originally from landlocked Richmond, Virginia, a blend of suburban and metropolitan, in her case, the latter may be the case.
Born and raised in Richmond, Jackie and her husband spent their summers working on Hatteras Island and eventually tying the knot in Frisco in 2007. They spent their first three spins around the sun as newlyweds working in the local school system. Young and yearning for a new adventure, they relocated briefly to Glacier, Montana, before their budding family pointed them safely home to Virginia to be near family. Ten years and three bouncing boys later, the ocean was calling, and in 2020 they relocated their family of five to Kitty Hawk.
Jackie’s primary art medium is oil, with beach landscapes being her favorite and most often produced at the easel. In addition, though she says, she is known to also dabble in acrylics and watercolors. Recently, abstracts and playing with a myriad of color palettes have been an excellent mental stretching exercise for her and a welcome growth to her talents.
As she puts it, “Experimenting with color, composition, shapes, and emotion has been exhilarating, to say the least.”
But more significantly than her surroundings, her grandmother, Stella Thompson, was her principal mentor in her journey into art and where her love for painting originated. Stella, an established oil painter herself, completed her degree in art at VCU in her 50s while rearing three high school-aged children. Grandma Stella continued painting and critiquing her granddaughter’s work well into her 90s. Though Jackie studied fine art at Christopher Newport University, Stella’s role in her life was invaluable.
Jackie mused fondly about the precise moment that it clicked. While in her grandmother’s home studio and during the 7th grade, she completed her very first oil painting. As she puts it quite succinctly, “I was hooked.”
A quote that stuck with me from my time spent talking with Jackie is, “Living on the Outer Banks is like living in a giant painting that has come alive.” I think any visitor or resident of the Outer Banks would find it hard to argue.
Originals and reproductions such as prints, mugs, hats, stickers, and more can be found locally at the Dare County Arts Council in Manteo, Surfin’ Spoon in Nags Head, Urban Cottage in Duck, the Corolla Village Market, and at pop-ups about town on the Muse Originals #Bus252. Jackie Koenig also sells her work directly online at jackiekoenigpainting.com. She also regularly shares new pieces on her Instagram @jackiekoenigpainting. Be sure to give her a follow!
Author: Ami Hill
Ami Hill is the head bus driver and curator of Bus 252. Find the bus in various pop-up art shows on the Outer Banks.
