Today we’d like to introduce you to Kymberlee Stanley.
Hi Kymberlee, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
The Full Circle JourneyBefore I ever stepped up to the easel full-time, my life revolved around storytelling, rhythm, and human connection. Growing up in Southern California, my young adult and college years were spent chasing creative expression from every angle—as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and modern dancer/choreographer, even while earning an art degree and my elementary teaching credential. For ten years as a public school teacher, that creativity lived in the classroom: I played guitar for my students, and wrote spirit songs for school assemblies. Yet, an instinct for deeper one-on-one impact led my career down an unexpected detour. I pursued graduate work in social work and clinical psychotherapy, ultimately spending years in private practice helping women and children navigate trauma, life transitions, and healing. deeper, one-on-one impact guided my path toward social work and clinical psychotherapy.
For years in private practice, I helped women and children navigate life transitions, trauma, and emotional healing. In 2012, at age 46, life brought a major transition of my own: a cross-country move to Nashville. Uprooted from the coast, I turned back to the oil painting I had loved in college as my own form of “art therapy” to navigate homesickness for the Pacific. What began as personal solace quickly evolved into a dedicated studio practice. I began bringing the vivid, sun-drenched palettes of my California roots into my new Southern surroundings, framing each canvas as a “color invitation”—a visual call to pause, notice beauty, and receive hope amid hurried lives. To hone that vision, I immersed myself in studio and plein air study under master painters like Lori Putnam and Anne Blair Brown, alongside immersive coursework at Warehouse 521. A pivotal turning point arrived when I was awarded the Betty Schmidt Memorial Scholarship from Oil Painters of America, which took me to Normandy and Paris to paint en plein air alongside international artists. Painting where the Impressionists once stood showed me firsthand how deeply art flourishes within a supportive community.
Inspired by the early French Impressionist salons, I returned home in 2024 and founded the Nashville Painters’ Salon—a collective of artists who gather regularly in my studio for critiques and encouragement, and paint on location at iconic Middle Tennessee venues like local farmers’ markets, the Frist Art Museum, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Today, my creative practice bridges my background in therapy with my love for fine art. Alongside studio painting in West Nashville, I host expressive arts workshops exploring the intersection of creativity, mindfulness, and healing. Being featured in Nashville Voyager coincides with meaningful milestones, including my solo exhibition “Windows of Wonder” at the Nashville International Airport (BNA) in Concourse D and participating in the Arts & Business Council’s Periscope Showcase. Looking back, every season—from classroom teaching, songwriting, and therapy to plein air painting and community leadership—has simply been a different way of helping people discover and hold onto beauty through the changing seasons of life. In 2012, at age 46, life brought a monumental transition of my own: a cross-country move to Nashville. Uprooted from the coast, I turned back to the oil painting I had loved during college as my own form of “art therapy” to navigate homesickness for the Pacific. What began as personal solace quickly ignited an obsessive creative dedication.
I began translating the sun-drenched palettes and coastal light of my native California into the white walls of my new Nashville home. I framed these works as “color invitations”—visual calls to bring my own heart home. To hone that vision, I immersed myself in rigorous studio and plein air study under Nashville’s master painters like Lori Putnam and Anne Blair Brown, alongside immersive coursework at Warehouse 521 Studios. Looking back, the road felt circuitous, but it ended up coming full circle. Teaching gave me the heart of an educator; psychotherapy taught me how color and visual space hold deep emotion and facilitate healing; and songwriting taught me composition, pacing, and harmony.
Today, whether I’m exhibiting at the Nashville International Airport, leading the Nashville Painters’ Salon en plein air, or mentoring through expressive arts workshops, every chapter of that journey is present on the canvas. Since starting my professional painting journey at the age of 46, my work has been featured in exhibitions with organizations like the Laguna Beach Plein Air Painters Association, the Southern California Plein Air Painters Association, the Oceanside Museum of Art, and the Parthenon Museum in Nashville. A transformative chapter unfolded when I was awarded the Oil Painters of America’s Betty Schmidt Memorial Scholarship, allowing me to travel to Giverney and Paris and learn how the impressionist movement of France was formed through a community of painters learning, developing and growing together.
After five years of painting as a solo artist, and knew I needed others to help develop, critique and challenge my work. So, after returning from France in the summer of 2024, I decided to create my own “Salon” inspired by the early French Impressionistist movement- and founded the Nashville Painters’ Salon—a collective of 10 artists who gather regularly in my studio to paint, offer encouragement and critiques, and paint on location at iconic Tennessee venues such as local farmers’ markets, the Frist Art Museum and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.
Today, my creative practice bridges my background in therapy and my passion for fine art. In addition to studio painting in my West Nashville studio gallery, I host expressive arts workshops exploring the intersection of creativity, spirituality, and healing. Being featured in Nashville Voyager coincides with exciting milestones for my work, including my “Windows of Wonder” solo installation at the Nashville International Airport (BNA) in Spring 2026 and participating in the Arts & Business Council’s Periscope Showcase this Fall Looking back, every career chapter—from therapy and music to painting and community building—has simply been a different way of helping people see and hold onto beauty through the changing seasons of life
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all—the journey has certainly been a winding road with its share of hurdles, but every challenge ended up shaping both the artist and business owner I am today.
1. Re-establishing an Identity & Market in a New Region
Moving from Southern California to Nashville at age 46 meant stepping away from a familiar West Coast network and building an artistic reputation from the ground up in a completely different cultural landscape. Finding my footing in a new market required deliberate relationship-building—learning where local collectors gather, establishing gallery relationships, and finding venues to showcase my work en plein air.
2. Balancing Artistry with Commercial Growth
Transitioning fine art from a personal passion into a sustainable business carries an inherent learning curve. Navigating the logistics of pricing original works, managing online e-commerce alongside gallery inventory, pitching juried shows, and marketing private commissions requires wearing a business executive hat just as often as an artist’s apron. Through programs like the Arts & Business Council’s Periscope Showcase, I’ve had to lean heavily into the entrepreneurial side of art to ensure long-term viability.
3. Navigating Health Challenges & Life Transitions
Life throws unexpected detours, and for me, recovering from breast cancer in 2022 was a profound turning point. Being forced to slow down altered how I viewed my studio time. Out of that period of forced stillness came my painting Sabbath—created right from my window as I healed—proving that personal struggles can deeply enrich the emotional resonance of an artist’s portfolio.
4. Overcoming Isolation in the Creative Process
Fine art can be an isolating profession, where hours spent alone in the studio lead to creative burn-out or lack of feedback. Recognizing that artists thrive in community, I pushed past that barrier by founding the Nashville Painters’ Salon. Creating a dedicated space for peer critiques, shared marketing strategies, and group plein air events turned what could have been a solitary struggle into a shared engine for collective growth.
Ultimately, these struggles taught me that resilience, community, and business strategy are just as essential to a fine artist’s career as technical skill at the easel.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
What I Do & What I Specialize In?
I am a contemporary impressionist oil painter specializing in landscapes, waterscapes, sunlit interiors, and plein air scenes. My core artistic signature revolves around creating what I call “color invitations”—bold, light-filled compositions featuring rich color palettes inspired by my Southern California coastal roots and brought into dialogue with the landscapes of Middle Tennessee and abroad. Beyond painting canvases in my West Nashville studio gallery, my work operates as an active, multi-channel art business:
Gallery & Direct Sales: I sell original paintings online, directly through my studio, and via select retail and gallery partners—including Garibaldi Studio Gallery in Nashville, as well as gallery locations on Catalina Island.
Private Commissions: I work directly with individual collectors and interior designers to create custom, site-specific oil paintings tailored to private residences and corporate spaces.
Live Painting & Community Arts: Through the Nashville Painters’ Salon—which I founded in 2024—I engage the public through live plein air painting events at iconic institutions, from the Nashville Symphony (Schermerhorn Symphony Center) and the Frist Art Museum to local farmers’ markets and state parks.
Expressive Arts Workshops: Capitalizing on my background as a licensed psychotherapist, I lead expressive arts workshops in my studio for creatives and healthcare professionals, exploring the intersection of creative process, mindfulness, and personal restoration.
What Sets Me Apart?
What truly distinguishes my work in the fine art space is the unique synergy between expressive color mastery, psychological depth, and entrepreneurial leadership:
A Distinctive Coast-to-South Color Palette: Growing up in Southern California and spending decades painting coastal light gave me a deep understanding of vibrant color theory. Infusing those luminous turquoise, sunlit gold, and rich warm tones into Southern landscapes creates a visual energy that is distinctively my own.
Art Rooted in Healing and Connection: Having spent years as a licensed psychotherapist, I don’t just paint a scene—I approach art as a powerful tool for emotional connection, attention, and hope. Collectors frequently share that my paintings bring a tangible sense of peace and uplifting atmosphere into their living spaces.
Plein Air Authenticity & Direct Observation: My work carries the spontaneous, energetic brushwork born from extensive plein air painting—whether capturing historic châteaux in France, coastal bluffs on Catalina Island, or the rolling hills of Tennessee.
What I Am Most Proud Of?
I am most proud of turning my creative passion into a vehicle that impacts both individual lives and the broader arts community:
The “Windows of Wonder” Solo Exhibition at BNA: Being selected by the Nashville International Airport’s Arts at the Airport board for a solo Flying Solo installation in Concourse D (featuring oil paintings created on 100-year-old architectural windowpanes) allows my art to offer moments of pause and wonder to thousands of daily travelers.
Founding the Nashville Painters’ Salon: Building a vibrant, supportive collective of local fine artists who gather bimonthly for peer critiques, shared business strategies, and high-visibility live painting events across Middle Tennessee.
National & International Recognition: Receiving the Oil Painters of America’s Betty Schmidt Memorial Scholarship to paint en plein air across Normandy and Paris, as well as being named a Top Emerging Artist by The Nashville Scene and selected for the Arts & Business Council’s Periscope Showcase.
Ultimately, whether through an original canvas hanging in a collector’s home, a live painting event downtown, or a studio workshop, my goal is to invite people to slow down, notice beauty, and live more colorfully.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
1. View Community as Your Greatest Growth Engine
When you start out, fine art can feel like a solitary endeavor, but treating other artists as collaborators rather than competition changes everything. Early in my journey, founding the Nashville Painters’ Salon proved that building community creates momentum. When artists gather for peer critiques, share gallery leads, cross-promote, or paint together en plein air at high-visibility venues, everyone’s career elevates faster. Look for local arts groups—or start one yourself.
2. Don’t Skip the Entrepreneurial Side
If I could go back, I would tell my younger self that being an artist means running a small business. Technical skill at the easel is only half the equation; learning how to price artwork confidently, manage inventory across galleries and online stores, build a mailing list, and pitch juried exhibitions or public art programs (like BNA’s Arts at the Airport) is what creates a sustainable career. Investing time in programs like the Arts & Business Council’s Periscope Showcase showed me how vital business strategy is to fine art longevity.
3. Build “Channels” for Your Art, Not Just Single Sales
Relying on one income stream—like canvas sales alone—makes art growth unpredictable. Diversify early. Create a mix of direct studio/website sales, gallery relationships, custom private commissions, and value-adds like workshops or live events. Different buyers interact with art in different ways, and having multiple ways for people to experience your brand provides steady financial resilience.
4. Own Your Unique Story
Collectors don’t just buy a canvas; they connect with the voice, vision, and heart behind it. It took me time to realize that my prior chapter as a licensed psychotherapist wasn’t separate from my fine art—it was my greatest differentiator. Whatever background, profession, or life story you bring to the easel, lean into it. Authenticity is what turns casual observers into lifelong collectors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kymberleestanley.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kymberleestanley1/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kymberleestanleylcsw/
