courtney khail

Georgia-based artist Courtney Khail produces abstract floral watercolor paintings and murals using pools of bold color and layers of gestural lines.

Artist: Originally from Augusta, Khail studied visual arts at John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School for eight years in her hometown. She graduated from the University of Georgia in 2007 with a BFA in scientific illustration, combining her love of art, science and nature.

After time spent in both Atlanta and Denver, Khail moved back to Athens, GA, in 2021.

Company/studio: Courtney Khail started in 2009 with hand-painted stationery and invitations. In 2015, Khail began offering original watercolor and ink paintings. Her studio is on the garden level of her Athens home.

In the beginning: Started studying watercolor when she was ten and continued throughout her years at Davidson Fine Arts (her middle and high school) and UGA.

A study- abroad program during college in Cortona, Italy, proved life changing.

“I decided then to pursue an artistic career as opposed to going onto graduate school for medical illustration,” said Khail.

After college, she decided to open a hand-painted stationery and invitation company. Since Khail loved paper, typography and graphic design, it seemed like a natural way to combine them all.

She created wedding stationery for couples from across the world, and had her work picked up by West Elm. About five years in, she started to paint again – just for herself – and decided to close the stationery/invitation side of her business and focus on her studio art.

Art & materials:

Bold floral paintings created by layering watercolors and ink on cotton paper.
Watercolor murals ($2,500 and up).

What’s popular: “My Dreams in Color” paper pieces ($325 to $3,500 plus, based on size).

“I create vibrant, floral artworks that layer color and line to celebrate Southern grit and female empowerment,” said the Georgia native.

Favorite tools:

A soft-grip Golden Taklon Round No. 10 brush.
Micron pens.
A wide variety of spray and squirt water bottles.

Inspirations: Many, including:

Nature, science, and Greek mythology.
Botanical illustrations and herbarium sheets.
Inkblock tests of Hermann Rorschach and images from the James Webb Telescope for her “ROARSHOCK” collection.
Artists: Hilma af Klint, Helen Frankenthaler and Katsushika Hokusai.
Art Nouveau and Abstract expressionism.
Traveling to see various landscapes (colors, lines and flora).

Fun or special commissions:

Created a 25-piece collection for the Rosewood Baha Mar Resort in Nassau, featuring local Bahamian flora.
A six-piece collection for the Whole Foods headquarters in Austin, where she focused solely on edible flowers native to Texas.

Recent honors:

Inducted into the Friends Board of Advisors for the Georgia Museum of Art. 2023.
Two of her paintings were included in Atlanta’s new Signia by Hilton’s art collection (Level 5).

Recent project: A special commission for a couple celebrating the birth of their son after a long battle with infertility.

What’s next:

The “PLATINUM,” an eight-piece painting collection, which was inspired by her husband’s recent chemotherapy treatments, launches this month. A portion of the sales will be donated to the University Cancer & Blood Center in Athens to help others pay for treatment as well.