For Roseville High School junior Kylie Irwin, art transcends personal experience. She is making her original watercolor works available for anyone who would like to buy one.
Irwin showcases her artwork on her Instagram account “@watercolorsbyky.” Starting off with drawings, Irwin decided to explore watercolor painting.

“I’ve always just kind of liked art,” Irwin said. “It was just something I always liked to do when I was younger.”

Each work typically sells for around $7, depending on the sizes and detailing of the paintings.

“I started doing it a couple years ago and just kind of stopped, and so I just picked it up again pretty recently and decided to do more with it,” Irwin said.
Irwin has been able to pursue her art more frequently lately, as her schedule has allowed more time.

“For a long time I’ve been involved with sports, so since I’m not doing that anymore it’s a way for me to express myself,” Irwin said. “I guess in a way that’s kind of different than others.”

The types of art Irwin produces comes from what she loves and has a deep passion for. She hopes to be personable in her customized art in order to display meaning.

“I also like to paint any of the states and use a flower to represent a specific city, so that it becomes more personable and has meaning for whoever it’s going to,” Irwin said. “This way it has a sense of home rather than another cute quote.”

For Irwin, painting has sentimental value for her and she feels it’s a way that she can express herself and enjoy it as one of her hobbies. Irwin’s mother Stephanie Irwin is proud of her daughter and her passion.

“I am so proud of Ky,” Stephanie said. “Not just her work, but because she found something she loves doing and found a way to share her love and talent with others.”

Stephanie feels that Kylie really puts the thought and a piece of herself into the work that she does.

“She thinks about who they are and what is meaningful to them.” Stephanie said. “That is what art should be about.”

Irwin’s friend, junior Kate Reilly, has purchased one of her paintings and loves what she does.

“I think she’s really good at it and I think she has a natural talent and it’s just really cool to see her really pursue it,” Reilly said.

Reilly is supportive of her friend and hopes for her business to expand.

“I hope that her business gets bigger and she get’s more known and more people buy her stuff because it’s really good,” Reilly said. “I’m proud of her because she’s doing it and she’s not letting anything stop her from doing it and really just trying to pursue it and get better at it and grow.”

Irwin initially started out by experiencing and living in the moment of her business, which has now turned into a possible overtime goal.

“My goal was just kind of to show people what I was doing. I didn’t really have a goal originally but then it turned into ‘Okay, I want to see this grow and I want to see what I can do with it,’” Irwin said. “I’d say I met my goal of allowing others to see my work.”

According to Stephanie, she feels her daughter should put just as much passion into other things as she does with her watercolor art.

“My only wish is that she would put the same passion into cleaning her room,” Stephanie said.