Professional Fine Artist |
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ARTIST'S STATEMENT |
ARTIST'S STATEMENT |
Kris at Melones Lake in Calaveras County, California |
Born in California but having grown up in the tropics and lived and traveled all over the world, I can safely say that the experience has provided me with a multitude of stored mental images for my artististic expression. Probably the largest influence on my artwork has been the fact of having grown up in the Caribbean. These islands have a wealth of intense, brilliant colours, flora and fauna, and are an artist's haven. The influence can be seen in the bright colours I use in my paintings. The stunning colours and languid pace of life in the Bahamas, Haiti and Jamaica combined with the vivid people and culture made an indelible impression upon me as a young woman. |
In all, I spent 18 years living on small islands where we lived right on the beach and i was able to spend many hours exploring and playing in and around the sea. My earlier years on Kodiak Island in Alaska, gave me a healthy respect for the changeability of mother nature and the dangers it could hold. Flying with my father, who was a bush pilot, from the age of six, some of my earliest memories are views of the mighty snow covered mountain ranges near Mt. McKinley, Kodiak bear fishing in streams, smelly fishing boats, the roar of seaplane engines, and the vastness of the cold blue ocean that surrounded us. When the sun finally came out in June the fields would be covered with sweeps of golden yellow buttercups, and the intensity of the green mountainsides were riveting. In Africa, where i lived for 10 years, I also learned to appreciate the extraordinarily varied scenery, unique animals and vegetation, and the African arts from the hands of some of the oldest cultures on the planet. |
This moving about the world has provided me with a profound appreciation of light and form in all its varieties. But the ocean, with its seagulls, foamy waves, hues of blues, turquoise, greens, and purples, is what has most marked me as a fine artist. My newest work, already featured in various shows, reflects my love and spiritual connection to the ocean and sea life. Since moving to the foothills of the Sierras some years ago, I have begun to appreciate the light, shapes and forms of this region. The golden hills of the Foothills glowing in the sunset, and the majestic snow capped peaks in the east, are so stunning that I suppose we could safely say my future plans include painting it all. |
Machu Pichu, Peru |
In South America I lived in Peru and Brazil, and visited Panama and many other places. Here I saw breathtaking skies over the Andes mountains, hiked all over Machu Pichu the hidden city of the Incas, travelled the entire length of the Amazon River, and experienced such a vast variety of jungle flora and fauna that everything just had to be put on canvas! Throughout these travels I saw peoples and cultures of many hues, colorful costumes, ancient architecture, indigenous artwork, and oh so much more. I've also lived in various US States where everything is so different from any other country I've travelled to or lived in. |
In Kodiak, Alaska, bears are plentiful. |
Kristine in Botswana, 1991. In the village of Oodi, Botswana, the Oodi Weavers Guild has artists producing some of the most exquisite wall tapestry on the African continent. |
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