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1stAngel: When did you first become interested in art?
Krissee: Cliche’ as this may sound, my interest in art started as soon as I discovered I could hold a crayon and draw with it. In fact, I drew a lovely mural all along the wall of the stairwell in bright red crayon as my first masterpiece. Sadly, my parents didn’t quite appreciate this work of art as much as I did and I do remember a lot of scrubbing involved thereafter.
1stAngel: What style of art do you use most?
Krissee: I suppose one way to describe my style of art would be ‘expressive fantasy,’ which essentially is imagery that is whimsical, yet emotive. My facination with the fantastical (especially elves) and my need to create from the heart have always been an influence.
1stAngel: Has your style changed from when you first began as an artist?
Krissee: As my style naturally ages with me, so have my techniques and mediums gone through several evolutions. For instance, I haven’t used a red crayon on the walls in quite some time.
1stAngel: What medium do you use?
Krissee: As far as mediums go, I make use of both traditional and digital depending on the ‘needs’ of the piece. For traditional mediums I favor acrylic, oil, charcoal, and anything else my pocketbook will allow for. My digital paintings are created using my trusty mouse and a program called ‘The GIMP’ that I’m rather attached to.
1stAngel: What made you choose that medium?
Krissee: My choice of medium is dictated mainly by my pocketbook as stated previously. However, I have found that I really liked the messy ones best which is probably why I favor being a painter and sketching with charcoals. For digital painting, I have tried other programs and kept finding that I preferred ‘The GIMP’ instead. I paint with pixels pretty straightforwardly and have no need for any frills, except maybe a tablet. Trusty as my mouse is, a tablet would be nice.
1stAngel: Do your ideas come from life or imagination?
Krissee: My ideas derive from both life and imagination. Basically, when I create it is my own emotion manifesting as fantasy imagery. I can ’see’ how I feel a lot of the time, so my idea pool is always overflowing.
1stAngel: How do you choose your images and colours?
Krissee: The images, colors, and compositions choose themselves based on the emotion… It’s just a matter of me capturing them in some type of medium.
1stAngel: Who is your favourite artist?
Krissee: Although I hold many artists in high regard, one of my absolute favorites is Salvador Dali. I remember the first time I viewed his art as a child in a coffee table book at my aunt’s house and I was simply enthralled. So many of his works speak loudly to me and if I had my way my home would be covered in Dali. Okay, maybe not covered, but I would certainly own more than just the few prints I have now.
1stAngel: What is your favourite piece of work by yourself?
Krissee: I do not have a favorite piece of work since each is like a facet of myself. I know, I know… that’s not a very original answer, but it’s the truth.
1stAngel: How much time (on average) does it take to complete a work?
Krissee: I can’t really put an average on how much time it takes me to complete a work since it varies greatly per piece. Even though my inspiration and ideas may be overflowing, my ability to work is dictated by my inner muse. When she is not smiling upon me, my muse can often delay or even halt the creative process which is quite frustrating.
1stAngel: How well do you take criticism?
Krissee: Constructive criticism is something that I welcome as there is much I still need to learn. I realize that criticism will not always be gentle, but as long as it is honest and meant to be beneficial I will always take what I can from it so I can further my knowledge and grow as an artist.
1stAngel: What do you do to overcome a ‘block’?
Krissee: My blocks are more of a short circuit between the mind and my hands rather than a lack of ideas/inspiration. As stated before, this happens when my inner muse decides to have one of her hissy fits and the only remedy that I have found to overcome this is simply waiting it out.
1stAngel: How do you know something is ‘finished’? Is it easy to walk away?
Krissee: I fully admit to being one of those who have a very difficult time walking away and I have to force myself to declare a piece finished. One reason is due to the battle between my “creative liberty side” and my “artistic technical side,” with the latter wanting very badly to correct every single mistake I have made even after the work has been deemed completed. Another influence is most likely me wanting the work to be just right since it is a reflection of my emotions. However, I recognize that if I did not place limits I would never move forward, so I decide a piece is finished when the emotion is being exhausted for the sake of technicality.
1stAngel: Have you had exhibits in galleries?
Krissee: I haven’t had any gallery exhibits since high school and that was a very long time ago. *laughs*
1stAngel: Have you any exhibits in galleries planned for the future?
Krissee: Since I’m terribly bashful, I don’t believe I will be having any future exhibits planned anytime soon. I guess I’ll just have to get back to you on that one once I find where my courage wandered off to. On a serious note, an offered gallery exhibit would be quite welcome despite my shyness issue, yet it probably would be prudent to wait until I have rebuilt my portfolio so I would have more to show. Who knows?
1stAngel: What are your plans for the future?
Krissee: Basically, I plan to rebuild my porfolio by creating in whatever medium I can afford and that strikes the fancy of the piece. Since I am still relatively new to digital painting, I would like to continue exploring this medium as I learn how to hone my technique using it. Like most artists, I have several works in progress laying about that need tending and my mind is teeming with imagery that is just awaiting to be realized. In other words, there is plenty ahead in my creative future.
Thank you Krissee for allowing me the interview. I am so pleased that there are some original fantasy artists out there still!
You can view Krissee’s gallery HERE
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