Your Stories Illustrated with Color and Magic

Custom Figure Paintings

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Custom Nursery Art

Illustrative Custom Portrait Paintings That Tell Your Story

The morning light catches on your daughter’s hair as she discovers seashells at the shore. Your family gathered around a campfire under stars too numerous to count. That perfect afternoon when three generations sat together on the porch swing.

These are the moments that define us—fleeting, precious, and deserving to be preserved not just in pixels, but in vibrant, soulful brushstrokes.

At Modern Magic, I transform your cherished moments into heirloom custom paintings using color, symbolism and an illustrative style that captures both likeness and emotion.

People Are Loving Their Custom Portrait Paintings

Katie does an amazing job creating pieces that will catch your eye. Highly recommend for anyone looking to add some a touch of “magic” to your surroundings.
Diana R.
Customer
Katie puts so much thought and effort into all of her work. I love how she does everything with intentionality — not to mention I love the colors she always incorporates!
MaryAnne B.
Customer
Katie’s intentionality and deep understanding of her subjects gives her art a staying power and repeated ability to wow viewers over and over again.
Emily B.
Customer

Invest in Memories

Custom paintings range from $700-$2500, reflecting the size, complexity, and hours of dedicated artistry that go into each piece. Unlike mass-produced wall art, these paintings become family heirlooms.

Perhaps you’ve been searching for a way to honor a milestone, celebrate a holiday, or simply capture the ordinary beauty of your everyday life. A photograph holds the literal, but a painting holds the spiritual. It’s able to not only show you what a moment in time looked like, but how it felt. 

Custom figure Paintings

There’s a kind of magic that happens when memory meets art. You don’t need to see the exact details of how it happened to create the magic of how it felt. Through symbolism, color, and elements that only your story could know we’ll co-create a painting that is truly one-of-a-kind.

Tobias Room with Crib

Beyond Traditional Wall Art

My artwork has been described as children’s books for adults. There’s something magical about that. The use of vivid colors that don’ overwhelm but still emphasize the magic of a moment. The texture of paint, the fluidity of watercolor, and of course a style that’s developed over the years gives you a painting that only we could create together. 

The Process

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A 20-minute call

Begin by telling me about the moment you want captured. Send your favorite photos, but also share what made this moment special—the small details that might not be visible but are felt deeply. We’ll explore symbolism, colors, and elements that can be added or removed from your painting. We’ll talk budget (of course) but know that I can work with you to create something that fits into what’s comfortable for your current finances.

Custom Portrait Painting

Preliminary Sketch

Once we have the plan laid out, I’ll send you a preliminary sketch 1-2 weeks after our call and the first half of payment has been paid (to take care of supplies and initial time). You’ll have 1 round of changes included in your quote and once you approve of the overall composition I’ll get to work creating your custom piece. 

Custom Portrait Painting

From My Studio to Your Home

4-6 weeks after our initial call you’ll have a final painting ready to be hung on your wall. We can work on framing together or you can take care of that on your own. Want prints made to send to family members? I can help with that too. 

Let's Co-Create A painting Together

The world moves quickly. Art invites us to pause, to remember, to cherish. Let’s create something together that tells your story in color and light.

Frequently Asked Questions

From initial consultation to finished piece typically takes 4-6 weeks, depending on complexity and my current commission schedule.

Clear, well-lit photos work wonderfully, but don’t worry about perfection. Sometimes the candid, imperfect moments make the most beautiful paintings. I can work with multiple reference photos to create the perfect composition.
While people tell powerful stories, I also create custom landscape paintings from your favorite places or capture your favorite home/room to keep forever. 
I work from 11×14-24×30. Of course, I can go larger for the right painting but because it takes so much longer, it has to be a piece we’re both excited about. 24×30 paintings will be done in acrylic and not watercolors. Know that if you want your piece to take up more space on the wall you can achieve this through your frame choice too!
 
Gouache paintings should be framed under glass and kept away from direct sunlight to preserve their vibrant colors for generations. You will also want this professionally framed to ensure that it is safe from outside elements.
 
Acrylic paintings don’t need to be enclosed in glass and are best framed in something that will protect the edges of the painting.

Absolutely! Custom paintings make extraordinary gifts for weddings, anniversaries, housewarmings, and milestone birthdays.  If you need help having it framed, mailed to your loved one, or anything else, I’m happy to help!

Heck yes! I love making a piece as personal as possible. So whether it’s changing the color scheme to fit your decor, adding in extra details, or tweaking the background to fit what a place felt like more than what it literally looked like, I’m here for it. The beauty of art is that we are going for a feeling, not reality.

Heck yes! I print 8×10 and 11×14 prints in-house. Larger format will be sent to my printers and shipped back to me for quality inspection and to hand sign them. Once they’re approved I can either mail them to you or schedule a pickup/delivery in Denver. Just let me know the number and sizes you need and I’ll add it to your quote. 

Yes! I love adding gold foil to a painting to make it extra special. I use both an artificial gold and a real gold option depending on your budget for this luxe add on. 

I like to work with Framebridge where your piece will be dropped off, framed, and then shipped to you directly. This can take an extra few weeks (Plan for 2 weeks) but their framing is great, and if something happens during transit, they’ll take care of you.

There’s also a location in Denver so if you’re local you can always pick up there too! 

Say Hello!

Tell me about the custom portrait painting you’ve been dreaming of!

Find Your Creative Spark

Upcoming
Workshops

2-hours of painting here in Denver with community you’ll love, story that will change you, and inspiration that will keep you creating long after the workshop ends.