Artist Kiki Slaughter (Photo by Kate Thompson courtesy Kiki Slaughter)
Standing on tarp-covered floors, surrounded by 10-foot windows overlooking the Fan District, Kiki Slaughter begins splattering and tossing paint across a canvas. Her studio, located in a historic brick building built in 1886, serves as the painter’s perfect getaway to create her art.
“I like to call it my beautiful mess,” Slaughter says. “It’s like my space to just be completely creative and not worry about making a mess or cleaning up. I can just dedicate myself to the creative moment.”
After years of specifically creating canvas art that she used to decorate her own home, Slaughter began looking for new ways to incorporate her art into her patrons’ homes. This search ultimately led her to the world of textiles and wallcoverings. Having always had a love for interior decorating, she began working on a new collection of abstract designs that would translate from canvas to fabric and wallpaper. The resulting Kiki Home Collection launched Sept. 13.
1 of 3
Swatches from the Kiki Home Collection (Photo by KK Harris courtesy Kiki Slaughter)
2 of 3
Swatches from the Kiki Home Collection (Photo by KK Harris courtesy Kiki Slaughter)
3 of 3
Swatches from the Kiki Home Collection (Photo by KK Harris courtesy Kiki Slaughter)
The Ivy native says that her designs are influenced by the emotions and colors she experiences in the places that she visits. While the spring and summer draw out bright and neon colors, making one feel as if one is soaking up the sun poolside, the fall and winter feature more jewel tones, reminding one of times spent cuddled up beside the fire in a blanket. As shapes and lines begin to cover the canvas, Slaughter doesn’t limit herself to seasonal colors, instead allowing the canvas to represent her inner feelings as she lets her emotions run freely.
Growing up in the country, Slaughter found that the fresh air and open spaces provided the perfect atmosphere for her younger self to find an individual style. Since moving to Richmond from Atlanta, the mother of two has felt an energizing sense of creativity, tapping into new inspirations and drawing out lighter, brighter colors in her paintings.
“Being back to my roots, even though it’s Richmond and not Charlottesville, it’s opened up my creativity and kind of helped me tap into my creativity more easily,” Slaughter says. “There’s something about being in Virginia that just makes me more creative. I don’t know what it is.”
Slaughter’s wallcoverings and textiles are a part of her “art everywhere” concept. The Kiki Home Collection offers 16 digitally printed textile and wallcovering options, custom-printed through Twenty2. Slaughter’s paintings can be found at Anne Irwin Fine Art in Atlanta and Hidell Brooks Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as her studio in Richmond.
