My Path to Paper Art

Get to Know Me

HI, I'm KRISTY.

Art has always been a part of my life. Ever since I was five and I finger-painted my first self-portrait, I knew creating things was something I was meant to do. From drawing comics when I was 7, to designing my own card game when I was 10, to illustrating an ill-conceived soap opera about my friends when I was 13, my childhood was perpetually speckled with spouts of imagination. But my path to becoming a full-time artist wasn’t a direct one. While my childhood was defined by designing new pieces, my life would take several turns before arriving at where I am today.

Education

As much as art made me happy, I decided that it couldn’t be my job. I took a sharp turn in my career and pursued being a top-notch nerd - I took all honors classes, I was a section leader in the marching band, and I competed in the state speech tournaments. When I graduated high school, I attended the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where I studied English, Spanish, and Secondary Education. I had hopes of getting a job as a teacher, a far cry from my artistic aspirations.

Teaching

Upon graduating college, I spent the next 12 years in a classroom. From teaching Spanish preterite tense to sophomores to teaching Shakespeare to seniors, and ending on teaching American History at an international school in Houston, being an educator became my passion. I loved dreaming up innovative lesson plans, helping my kids grow and learn, and instilling curiosity in the next generation.

Changes

During this time, I grew personally as well. I got married, adopted a couple of kitties, and had a son. Life was getting harder to juggle, but it was still rewarding.

Until 2020 hit. Teaching became terrifying. Zoom classes. Sanitizing constantly. Masks. Enforcing the kids to wear masks. Finding masks all over the school wondering who wasn’t wearing theirs. Teaching was a struggle. My husband and I decided it was time to move back to our roots in the midwest and do a hard reset. He took a job as a sales engineer and I would…I wasn’t sure. For the first time, I didn’t want to go back to the classroom. I wanted to do something I have always wanted to do. And now felt like the perfect time to try.

New Beginnings

As of 2021, I became a full-time artist. It took some time to embrace the new title but now I confidently say I am an artist who specializes in capturing the likeness of a person with the use of paper, resulting in (what has been described as) a cute, charming, and mostly accurate portrait. The style is minimal, and the process can be long, but the joy is genuine in every picture I make.

To Thine Own Self be True

Evolution of my Self Portraits

Over the years, my style has evolved as my skills changed and grew. Enjoy this jaunt down memory lane of self portraits I made through the course of my artistic career.

Thanks for stopping by!

I hope we can work together someday! Whether that means making you a custom work of art or selling you a shiny sticker, I love sharing my work with new people!

MY PATH TO PAPER ART