"My paintings utilize a variety of media and techniques to construct multilayered abstract worlds. I am drawn to the visual language of nature—from gestures and forms observed in clouds and astronomical imagery to the microscopic worlds I encountered during my training as a nurse anesthetist. These influences often enter the work indirectly, as fragments of shape, movement, color, and scale rather than as literal representations. My background in printmaking and ceramics continues to shape how I approach painting. I enjoy building and removing layers, using masking and resist techniques, and embracing the physical possibilities of the medium. I typically begin with pours, sprays, or brushstrokes of pigment to establish an initial feeling or tension. From there, the painting develops through a combination of intuition, observation, and chance. As layers accumulate, I respond to what is already on the surface—sometimes reinforcing a passage, sometimes disrupting it, and often covering something that initially seemed successful. The paintings frequently undergo cycles of destruction and resurrection, with traces of previous decisions remaining visible beneath the surface. I am interested in the balance between control and surrender: how much can be intentionally directed, and how much can be discovered? The final painting is less a predetermined image than a record of that negotiation." -Kris
Selected Exhibitions
- 2021: Really Good Abstract Show, juried group show, ShockBoxx Gallery, Hermosa Beach, CA
- 2020: Congruence: Summer 2020 Juried Exhibition, online juried group show, www.ilikeyourworkpodcast.com
- 2019: North/East, juried group show, Circa Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
- 2012: Colors, juried group show, Gamut Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
- 2012: Timeless Meditations: Mandalas and Patterns In Nature, juried group show, Tubac Center for the Arts, Tubac, AZ
- 2008: Not Not Clay: Really Contemporary Works, group show, Gallery 13, Minneapolis, MN
- 2006: One Square Foot, juried group exhibition, Clay Squared to Infinity, Minneapolis, MN
- 2006: Members Annual Juried Show, juried group show, Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Minnetonka, MN
- 2005: New Work, solo exhibition, Affinity Plus Credit Union, Minneapolis, MN
- 2004: Minnetonka Center for the Arts Annual Sculpture Group Show, Minnetonka, MN
- 2000: Peace Box, juried group exhibition, Kyoto International Community House, Kyoto, Japan
Education
- 1999-2000: Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto, Japan – Woodblock printmaking advanced studies residency
- 1998: Kyoto Seika University, Kyoto, Japan – Monbusho Ministry of Education Fellowship, Papermaking/Woodblock Printmaking Study
- 1998: Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Michigan School of Art and Design, Ann Arbor, MI Concentration in ceramics and printmaking
Awards
- 2005: Jerome Emerging Artist Fellowship, Summer 2005, St. John's Pottery at St. John's University, Collegeville, MN
- 1998: Ministry of Education Monbusho Fellowship, Kyoto, Japan
Related Experience
- 2000: Etching/Papermaking Internship, Studio of Sarah Brayer, Kyoto, Japan
- 1999: Sato Woodblock Print Studio Internship, Kyoto, Japan
Teaching
- 2004: Instructor, Throwing Together wheel throwing course, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
- 2004: Guest instructor, Clay workshop, Cherokee Heights Elementary School. St. Paul, MN
- 2003/04: Teaching Assistant, Basic wheel throwing course, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN
Gallery Representation
- 2006-2007: Dean Gallery, Minneapolis, MN
- 2002-2003: Gallery 360, Minneapolis, MN