In the town of Boone, NC, countless artists can be picked out from a crowd. Chandler Thornton, an artist who lives and paints here in the Appalachian mountains, is one of them.
Embedded Files
"Untitled"
"In the Valley"
"Rest"
"Mast Farm May"
Pursuing the Arts
Chandler's path to Boone started back when she was in college at the University of Alabama. There, she studied advertising with a minor in studio art. But, "It just wasn't my scene," said Thornton. So after an invite from some friends, she found herself walking down King Street and falling in love with our smaller town of Boone. Later, she transferred colleges and wound up at App State. Here at App, she continued her studies in advertising, but changed her minor to nonprofit management. "I was taking a big turn away from the art, but I was painting outside of school way more," Thornton said.
Although Thornton was working two jobs at the time, pursuing art as a career remained a desire. It wasn't until her mom told her one day, out at lunch, "Chandler, I really think you can do this thing with art," that she realized her dream was possible. So, they pulled out pieces of paper and figured out a way to make it work. Thornton quit her two jobs and fell in love once again with her passion.
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A Painting's Home
Today, Thornton resides in Boone with her husband and two children. Her main form of income is working as a live wedding painter.
"It's a very intimate gift that they get to receive," said Thornton.
Getting to work with a couple, sharing such an intimate moment, and helping to provide them with a gift at the end of it all is something Thornton loves. Her other streams of income with art are mainly prints and commissions. What makes commissions so special to Thornton is the fact that she gets the chance to capture a special subject or moment in the way she paints and sees things.
When asked what gets commissioned the most, Thornton replies with, "I would say landscapes. Yeah, people love the mountains."
Her work can be found in various places around the High Country. On King Street, Common Good, as well as Venture Chocolate and Wine, hold several pieces and prints available for purchase, as well as various spaces in Blowing Rock. Such as: Sweet Mimi's Boutique, Take Heart, and the Windmoor Hotel.
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Finding Peace
When asked about what her inspiration was, Thornton replied, "I think my faith is the biggest point of inspiration for me. I came back to the Lord when I was at App, and from that point on, I couldn't have art without my faith. Painting became me spending time with the Lord."
Thornton also mentioned that music plays a big role in where she gets her inspiration from. Artists like Noah Kahn, The Oh Hellos, the Lumineers, and the Talking Heads are just some of the many artists that fill her studio. Thornton mentions that the weather or mood she's in greatly affects the way she paints that day.
"...If I come in with a funky headspace, it usually translates into my painting," Thornton mentions.
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Final Thoughts
As the interview wrapped up, I asked Thornton one more question: If you could give high school students one piece of advice, what would you say?
This was her response: "I was one of those kids who was not good at math, really bad at science, pretty decent at English, and then I was great at art. So my advice would be, don't worry about what other people think about your work, don't copy work, and stay true to who you are."
"Rhododendron Rains"
"Forever"
"Day Dream"
"For you"
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