Newkerk Art

Caitlin Newkerk lives in Murfreesboro Tennessee with her husband David, their three children, and 15 chickens. She home schools her children, enjoys gardening, and hates laundry. She paints in a moody old world style with oils.

Her passion is to create pieces that move her collectors to boldness in worship of God and service to others. She firmly believes that each person is created with specific gifts and purpose that only they possess. Her work encourages the viewer to dare to dream and leap into all that God has for them.

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Love affair:

Caitlin's love affair with fine art started very young in no small part due to the influence of her parents and grandparents on both sides. Her husband David is her biggest and most generous supporter.

Paternal grandparents Retta and George often took her to museums, theatrical performances, and concerts all over southern California. They sent her famous works of art in the form of postcards from their travels around the world. She hung these treasures in her doll house to admire what was possible.

Her maternal grandmother Barbara was an accomplished artist and helped Caitlin paint her very first oil painting in a sunny breakfast nook in San Diego. Much to Caitlin's chagrin they painted a swan on a muddy brown lake. Lakes are blue Grandma. What do grandmothers know? It seemed all wrong at the time but now the same painting now hangs in Caitlin's own kitchen and heavily influences her personal style to this day.

Her very creative and driven parents Mark and Karen have been ever present as supportive fans, sending her to private lessons, cheering on her drawings and paintings, sending her to school for interior design and furnishing her with art supplies and massive desks she uses to this day 20 years later. From sending her to study abroad in Rome, to encouraging her in business and beyond, her parents get the credit for her confidence and solid education.

David (Caitlin's husband) has from the beginning of their 15 year marriage been infinitely encouraging with her many projects, dreams, and messes. He's her copy editor, tech support, manual labor and so much more. His patience, gentleness, and love form the rock solid foundation from which she gets her strength. None of this would be possible without him.

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Dead and gone:

Despite an intense love of painting, Caitlin's desire to fight for a career in fine art died not long after entering college for that very major. The truth is that she believed the lies she was told by unfulfilled and unhappy people. "No one wants pretty, happy, and religious art" and "You'll never be able to make a real living as an oil painter" echoed in her heart. She was too naive and discouraged to spot the lie.

Instead of fine art over the next two decades Caitlin moved on to study interior design, ran a floral design business, sold a huge variety of handmade products, and taught paint and sip classes. None of these beautiful outlets really got to the heart of what Caitlin felt she was meant to do but God was using it all to craft a much richer, vibrant style and point of view than she would never have had at 18.

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Resurrection:

After years of deep soul searching, personal challenges, and time seeking what God really had for her, Caitlin finally received an answer. Through a series of timely events and answered prayers in the fall of 2025 she felt called back into fine art not just for the sake of art but to point people to the goodness of Jesus with subtle, symbolic, and timeless work.

When she sat down to paint her first oil painting again it was like dancing to an old familiar song. Smelling the oils and feeling the buttery texture glide on the canvas was like coming home. She felt empowered to paint with clarity and joy like never before.

Now this revived artist is grasping the baton from her younger self and sprinting headlong into her first series entitled "With all your heart." Please stay tuned for announcements about her debut where she hopes to meet you later this year.