Kris Loya. Just Keep Painting Kris Loya is “kind of obsessed with flowers.” The 12-year Loudoun resident is a watercolorist with a specialty for floral paintings, who serves the community by teaching art through the Loudoun County Public Library. Persisting through the pandemic, Loya has had no problem taking classes virtually and representing the positive spirit and resilience of Loudoun County. “It’s always been in my nature to just draw and paint; and, [when I was] a kid, my mom encouraged it,” Loya stated while reminiscing on her artisthood. Loya is the first known artist in her family line. With encouragement from her mother, Loya developed a love for art early on, studied it in high school, and taught herself much of what she knows today. Watercolor, in particular, stuck with her. She explains how she discovered watercolors in childhood: “For kids, watercolors are available everywhere, and that’s what I had. Then, in high school, that was what was recommended.” Loya’s love and excitement for the style never faded. She remarked, “I just really like the layered look. And how ethereal looking watercolor is with all those transparent layers. It just excites me to see watercolor. So that’s why I stuck with it.” Nature has always been a huge inspiration for Loya. As a Carribean native, tropical flora and foliage were her first motivators, and started her obsession with flowers. Moving to Loudoun gave Loya a whole new variety of natural phenomena to replicate in her artwork. “It was really interesting to me to see things die in the fall and the winter, since I’ve never had that experience, and then come
right back to life in the spring. It still blows my mind completely that a tree that looks dead, you know, starts spreading little tiny buds, and then, different flowers that cycle through the year. It’s just hugely inspiring.” Several years ago, Loya started teaching watercolor, and her distinct style of the artform, which she says is “just a little different.” She taught at a couple of different settings including the Round Hill Arts Center, The Clay and Metal Loft, and a mass of private lessons. Ultimately, Loya landed a partnership with
