Submitted photo: Jones stands in front of her canvas at the Eastern Panhandle Homeschool Conference.

Kathlyn Jones may be a high school junior, but she is making a name for herself as a local artist in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties. She’s doing everything from community art projects and wall murals, to online sales and book illustrations. Jones consistently puts her artwork out there for others to see.

“People keep throwing stuff at me that is challenging. I really like that,” said Jones.

Jones got her start in commercial art with King’s New York Pizza in Shepherdstown. The owners were looking to have a youth art wall and Jones’ grandfather, who was doing some renovation work for the restaurant mentioned his granddaughter’s art work.

“The owner mentioned having a youth art wall and my granddad told him about his granddaughter who was very artistic,” said Jones. “He set up a day to meet with me and see some of my art, then hired me to do the painting. I was pretty excited, this being my first real job, but also slightly overwhelmed. The owner of King’s told me he wanted a crazy kitchen, full of random, fun and strange things.”

Jones’ painting has been on the wall of King’s ever since.

Submitted photo. Jones is with Shepherdstown King's Pizza owner, Oscar Hernandez as they hang her commissioned work.

After working on the King’s painting, Jones completed other commissioned works. The HIVE, a children’s program at Parks and Recreation in Winchester, asked Jones to do a wall mural that would inspire children. After measuring the space and creating her own hand-made stencils, she painted a floor-to-ceiling hive that the children love. It took her three weekends to finish and she said it was well worth the effort.

No Retreat Arms, located in Inwood just off of Route 11, is another place where that bears Jones’ artistic hand. The store owner asked her to paint something to represent the United States and the military. After researching the various military branches, she decided to paint an American flag and military logos on the outside of the building.

“I want people to see the mural and remember the people who serve our country,” said Jones.

In 2016, Jones painted a large, canvas wall banner for the Eastern Panhandle Homeschool Conference at Covenant Church in Shepherdstown. She also sold her art at the Musselman High School art auction in May 2016, where her watercolor cow painting inspired a bidding war. Jones said she couldn’t believe how excited people were about her art.

When she’s not doing homework or sketching, Jones is working on her two latest commissions. The first is a painting for King’s New York Pizza in Inwood. The second is the illustration of S. Marshall Wilson’s book, “Sophistry”. Jones doesn’t take any of these opportunities for granted.

“I want to inspire other kids to realize they don’t have to wait until they are older to do something amazing. They can do it now,” she said. “There’s this saying about being a jack of all trades, but master of none. But I want to become a master of all types of art, a versatile artist.”

Jones is homeschooled and currently taking a graphic design at James Rumsey Technical Institute. She plans to attend Shepherd University.