Get to Know Palm Beach Artist Kyle Lucks & His Equine Work 'The Jumper'

Kyle Lucks, originally from St. Louis, Missouri, but now a proud resident of Palm Beach, Florida, has been painting as far back as he can remember. 

Lucks specializes in large scale portraits of athletes, musicians, cultural icons and historical figures. He selects these subjects he says because of their fierce dedication to their craft and the energy and focus it takes to be successful at the highest level. In addition to his work “The Jumper” being the cover artist for Dan’s Papers inaugural issue of The Circuit, which covers the equestrian community, Lucks’ works have been featured in sports stadiums, restaurants, corporate offices and the homes of private collectors all around the world. 

We at Dan’s Papers were fortunate enough to catch him on a break from his painting schedule to talk with him about his inspiration, artistic process and philanthropy.

A Conversation with Kyle Lucks

Can you tell me about “The Jumper” and what inspired this painting?

I’ve been drawing and painting athletes my entire life. When I moved to Florida about three years ago, I was introduced to the world of equestrian sports and met a photographer who shoots for Polo. I looked through her work and this photograph stood out to me. I thought I would try to paint a jumper. I painted the horse pretty big to capture the power, grace and beauty of such a large animal. The painting is an acrylic on canvas 60″ x 40″painting of Nayel Nassar, a professional equestrian with Evergate Stables, and his horse, Basil. 

And there’s something extra special about this particular painting that you only found out about after completing the work, correct?  

Yes, when I posted the painting on Instagram, Nayel responded saying that the painting was really sentimental to him because he had just retired that horse. So, it’s one of those coincidences with the positive energy in the universe that I was able to coincidentally paint this image that would personally mean so much to him. 

Can you tell me about your choice of colors and your decision to make the background of the painting abstract? 

My paintings generally start with an abstract background. I wanted this painting to be heavy on the green to signify all the green of the sport. The brush strokes were done to give the image energy and movement. The abstract style as a foundation helps capture emotion, and again, the movement of the work. It also wouldn’t look as good if I did this after the subject was placed. I then let that background show through where I want it to and it lends itself to these unique color combinations. The colors I choose for my paintings are usually very bold and that helps with the feeling of excitement and emotion. 

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I often get inspiration from the reference material. I like painting musicians because they have colored lights so it makes for an interesting subject when you have magenta on one side of the face and blue on the other side. And with the athletes, there’s a uniform but I try to think of what’s around. And I want to be able to tell a story through the painting, capture the subject’s personality as well.

As a professional artist I am sure that you must have to stick to some kind of schedule. Can you please tell me about your painting routine and how you get into that creative space? 

Yes, so it is a routine. I don’t wait for inspiration to strike. I make it strike. I learned a long time ago that you can’t hope that you’re going to have everything in place at once and the stars will align and you’re going to produce your best work, so I do treat it like a profession, a job. I do it every single day. I’m probably painting by 8 or 9 a.m. and I like using sports analogies, so I will work in quarters. I will work for one or two hours and then maybe make lunch or go run errands, and then I’ll have my second quarter in the early afternoon and then I go to the gym, and then I’m working again. So, it’s on and off all day. It’s predictable because there’s nothing worse than getting out of a rhythm and not feeling creative. I won’t take meetings or calls in the morning, so at the very least, if I clear my morning, I can get a solid four to five hours of work done, and then if the wheels fall off, I at least got some work in. 

Can you briefly take us back to how you decided to become a full-time artist? 

So, I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. My mom has a degree in Fine Arts, so I didn’t realize it, but I was working with an art teacher. It was 24/7. I was doing things every kid does, like finger painting and drawing, but I just had that extra support and teaching. When I was nine, I did a hockey drawing that was eventually published in a Sports Illustrated edition for kids when I was 12. This became the show and tell piece for a couple of years. I was known as the artist in class. I was the kid who could draw and I would get commissions from teachers and people’s parents. All of that was a confidence boost. The more recognition I received helped me realize that this was what I wanted to do with my life. My whole life I knew I was going to get to this point, to be a professional artist, and that was the goal even though the practical side of me went to business school. When I graduated with my marketing degree, I was in the event marketing industry for some big companies and I would paint part-time. When my art picked up, I decided to travel less for work. In 2020 I got the final push to pursue my art full-time since covid had greatly impacted the event marketing industry.  I had enough projects to keep me busy during COVID, and that was also another confidence boost that showed me that I could sustain it if I decided to paint full-time, that the hard work would pay off and I would get more referrals. 

You are from St. Louis, Missouri and moved to Palm Beach in 2021. What inspired the move and what do you think of Palm Beach and creating art in this new home of yours? 

In March of 2021, I visited Palm Beach and then ended up moving here. Moving to Florida was one of the most impulsive things I’ve done. I visited in March and then 10 weeks later I was moving, and for me, that was unheard of. What attracted me down here first was the culture. Even though it’s a smaller city than St. Louis, there’s such a concentration of art lovers, music lovers and supporters of the arts, and it has these coastal towns that all have their own scene. People are moving here from all corners of the country and I felt that I could grow with the region. I was also impressed by how many genuinely nice people there are. The area has embraced me so early on in my life down here and it has made all the difference. So, the progress I have had in under three years is heavily attributed to the people I have met, and just being in the right place at the right time. 

You are taking part in a lot of philanthropic work now as well. Can you please tell us about that? 

I have a philanthropic component to my business where I do a lot of events. I donate or I paint live, and that becomes an auction item. I did a painting of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, for The Cancer Alliance. She was a keynote speaker for the event and she’s also a breast cancer and melanoma survivor. There was a live auction and I was able to meet her. She signed the painting for the winning bidder. It was a once in a lifetime experience and it was really neat to see the artwork raise money. The Cancer Alliance also has a Dancing with The Stars themed gala every spring and so I was one of the dancers last April. That one I had to use my feet, not my art. It was a fun experience. I also just recently painted live for a melanoma fundraiser. I’ve donated to Habitat for Humanity, Family Promise and a number of other charities. I want to use my artwork for good and for the bigger purpose. If I can create something that can help raise money, then I am happy to explore those opportunities. 

And what do you have coming up next? 

I’m still excited about this idea of painting for equestrian sports. This has all started with “The Jumper.” I’ve done a Polo painting as well but I have many more ideas and I really want to keep going in that world because I only live 30 minutes from the equestrian capital of the country in Wellington, Florida. Additionally, I have a couple of shows coming up and I have a professional sports team that commissioned a painting for one of their players that’s having a big milestone coming up. 

And, I am so excited and honored to be on the cover of Dan’s, The Circuit, and to be able to share my work and story. 

To learn more about Kyle Lucks and his work, visit kylelucks.com or @kylelucksfineart on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.