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Kadra Nevitt,

Master Artist

Kadra Nevitt is a self-taught artist celebrated for her captivating and realistic depictions of the Western lifestyle, outdoors, and beloved pets. With a lifelong passion for art, Kadra's journey began at a young age, with early memories of coloring and correcting her brother's artistic endeavors. Her dedication to her craft only grew stronger, leading to the sale of her first commissioned piece at just 14 years old.


Kadra's artwork is characterized by its soft yet natural touch, often incorporating horses, rodeos, ranching, and pasture scenes inspired by her extensive experience as a horse owner and rider. Her pieces have been showcased in numerous Western art shows across the United States, galleries throughout the West and Midwest, and have been sold internationally. She has also been part of traveling exhibitions like Paint the Parks.


As an Associate member of the prestigious Pastel Society of America (PSA), Mid America Pastel Society (MAPS), Women Artists of the West (WOAW), and Cowgirl Artists of America (CGA), Kadra's expertise with pastels is complemented by her exploration of pencil and watercolor. Her artistic mission is to capture the essence of a moment, evoking emotions and touching hearts.


With her recent relocation to Kansas in 2020, Kadra finds inspiration in the heartland's rolling hills, vast skies, and rustic charm. Her art embodies the spirit of the American heartland – genuine, heartfelt, and deeply rooted in the beauty of the everyday. Kadra's goal is to create art that not only reflects the beauty of the world around us but also touches the heart, inspiring a sense of wonder, peace, and connection to the natural world.


Born in Enumclaw, Washington, Kadra's art career has been a journey of passion, dedication, and faith. With a humble spirit, Kadra credits her creativity to the ultimate artist, saying, "I'm just copying the greatest artist of all time – God."

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Ashley Purdin,

Guest Artist

Ashley's love for all things horses and art started in her childhood. She was always fascinated by the look, movement and power of the horse. In her early teens she began to hone her skills as an artist and horsewoman. 

 

As her career as a horse trainer and clinician began to take off, Ashley's art took a back seat. It wasn't until summer of 2020 when Ashley went through a severe depressive episode that her art resurfaced. 

 

That summer, she received a diagnosis of Bipolar I (Manic Depressive Disorder). As part of her therapeutic activities, she chose to dive back into her art. 

Her bold color choices along with the soulful expressions in each of her subjects, juxtaposes the light and darkness that Ashley has experienced in her own life. 

It is her desire that her works bring joy to first herself and then to others. Her works are enjoyed by private collectors across the country. 


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Most Voted from March's Online Feature,

Jill Williams

Watercolor Painter, "Whisper of the Forest."

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Our Story

It all started with a dream. We were shocked how quickly that dream became reality!

It has always been a dream of ours to open an art studio. In fact, we didn’t even know we each had that dream separately until a few years ago.


We were talking over dinner one night, and we both realized that we each wanted to start an art studio in a small town with a loft just above it. Once we both realized we had a shared dream, we went to work slowly making this a reality.


For more than 20 years, Fort Scott had been one of those towns that we would visit for groceries for the family farm. It was a beautiful town inside and out. Just recently, we started watching the entire town undergo a transformation. Buildings were being bought up, and restoration projects were happening throughout town.


One weekend, we were in Fort Scott and walked past a building for sale that we had seen online. It was beautiful and the perfect size for a studio.


There was a number on the For Sale sign, so we called. Phil answered the phone (which he never does on a Saturday) and showed up 15 minutes later to show us around the building. A local expert in building restoration was even in the area, and he answered all of our questions that come with an old building like this.


We like to say that Phil changed the trajectory of our life in 15 minutes because the rest is history. We signed the papers within a few weeks and started moving in.

  • The Fort Scott Factor

    There was something attractive about that smaller community for us. We wanted to be in a town where people know your name – where we can form relationships with people that you’ll see as you go about your day.


    That’s not the only reason we picked Fort Scott. 


    Even though Fort Scott is a town of less than 10,000, they operate like a city three times its size. It's a very impressive town because the people of this town care enough to be involved. Everyone takes part in making this city run. 


    That involvement leads to a strong sense of hometown pride and a deep love for each other. You can just tell the love for each other when you step foot into this community. The priority that Fort Scott places on community is another big part of why we love it here.


    When we hit the county line, we feel like we’re home.

  • A Small-Town Pace

    Fort Scott operates at an entirely different speed than the city. Anyone could tell you that. It’s almost like you can take a deep breath when you’re here and start to find some piece that you’ve lost when you live in the city.


    Small towns like Fort Scott have a way of bringing life back into focus both personally and artistically. When you can slow down a bit, you can find your focus again. You start to dream again when you’re out here.


    It’s a place like this that really gives us that breath of fresh air we need as artists. We get our creative vision back. The sunsets, the landscapes, the horizons. They call it God’s country for a reason.

  • Our Vision for Fort Scott

    First, we just want serve our community. We want to bring a piece of us into our community that would not necessarily be here otherwise.


    We want to bring in other artists from around the country that will bring even more artistic diversity to our county.  This cross-pollination gives our entire community the chance to learn something new and fresh from an artist they would never run into otherwise. You don’t typically have opportunities like this in a small rural community, and that’s one of the things we want to bring to our community.


    Second, we want The Artificers to be a comfortable, hospitable place for everyone to just visit. We want you to feel comfortable coming in and looking at art. It’s not your traditional, stuffy art gallery. We want this to be a place that is warm and inviting.


    Third, from our community standpoint, we ultimately want to start influencing the entire region. What does it look like to bring cities and communities within a two hour radius into our town for a weekend? 


    Fourth, we also feel, in a sense, connected to the land. We like taking things from the land in our community and using those in our sculpture. Right now, we're harvesting wood and clay from Southeast Kansas that will be used directly in art we are creating. 


    It's not just coming and having an experience at The Artificers that we care about, but it's also having people who visit have a holistic experience of Fort Scott.

Meet Our Team

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Trent Freeman

Owner, Master Artist & Instructor

What is your favorite artistic medium?

Clay


Why do you love it so much?

It can be made to look like anything. It can be pottery, metal, wood. I can sculpt with it. It's so versatile!


Who is your favorite artist?

My mentor, John Kudlacek, is one of my favorites because he has been so influential to my style.

Kate Freeman

Owner & Resident Artist

What is your favorite artistic medium?

Acrylics on canvas


Why do you love it so much?

I love taking scenes from nature and translating them onto the canvas. I love the way bright colors pop off the canvas with acrylics.


Who is your favorite artist?

Monet

Katelynn McCoy

Gallery Assistant

What is your favorite artistic medium?

Acrylics.


Why do you love it so much?

I love how acrylics can easily blend together and even when you need to remake a color


Who is your favorite artist?

My favorite artist is Ana Mendieta.


Oriah Freeman

House Photographer

What is your favorite artistic medium?

My favorite medium is photography


Why do you love it so much?

I love photography because each picture captures a specific moment in time. With each photo I take I enjoy expressing a beautiful memory that people will always be able to cherish. I feel honored to be apart and capture peoples once in a lifetime events.


Who is your favorite artist?

My favorite artist right now is George Bellows. 


Kristan Hammond

Kids Instructor

What is your favorite artistic medium?

Photography & Teaching


Why do you love it so much?

In photography, I love that you can focus on details that catch a glint of beauty in the commonplace of everyday life. In teaching, I love the gift of sharing this joy and learning with others as we journey together.


Who is your favorite artist?

There are too many to pick! Anselm Kiefer, Romare Bearden, Makoto Fujimura, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange & Gordon Parks

Andrea Latham

Studio Apprentice

What is your favorite artistic medium?

Clay & graphite


Why do you love it so much?



Who is your favorite artist?



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