Creator Five: Kristin Kest
Artist Kristin Kest constantly amazes with the wide range of mediums and skills displayed in her art arsenal. In addition, her teaching background shows when she interacts with artists, offering insights from her many experiences.
As a practicing artist, Kest creates imaginative works via painting, digital art, graphite, and pottery, such as her immensely popular Monster Pots.
Kristin shares five areas of insight with us in a continuation of our Creator Five series of interviews:
1) Many artists focus on one or two mediums, but Kest works in a wide range. She explains, "I'm an illustrator and have worked in oils for 3+ decades but taught myself to work digitally when the illustration industry shifted, and digital media became paramount for speed and economy. I also love to work in graphite and produce fine art drawings. Several years ago, a friend gifted me a pottery studio, so I also make ceramics.
2) Art consumers don't always understand the various techniques and approaches involved in creating works.
"I think people who don't paint in oils don't understand that they can be thinned out to the consistency of watercolors and painted translucently and with exacting precision."
"In ceramics, people are often confused to learn that I hand build my work and don't throw it on a wheel. The pottery wheel is generally better known and is the representative tool for ceramics in most people's minds."
3) Looking at an artist's schedule and where they work can let us take a peek into their craft. Kest's artistic work generally occurs in the twelve hours between 11 AM and 11 PM. She continues, "I may quit physical work like painting or sculpting by 9 PM, but I tend to stay up quite late working past midnight so I can write, think, or sketch ideas. This means I sleep later than most humans, but I think my circadian rhythms are just dialed differently."
As for an interesting item nearby, "It's not on my workstation/ desk/ palette but in my adjacent storage cabinet: a desert scorpion in a jar of alcohol. I bought her from a pet shop in 1992 to do the art for one of the pages in the book, "Creepy Creatures, Do They Scare You?" (Sneed Collard III, Charlesbridge, 1992). She immediately gave birth to a bunch of live baby scorpions and then hung around for a few more years. When she expired, I popped her into the preservative --which I occasionally top off."
“Feast for Crows” —oil on treated paper, © Kristin Kest
4) Taking a step back from the work side, Kristin's ice cream of choice would be butter pecan, an excellent one, but she shares that "it would have to be a very, very special occasion." Want to share lunch? Make her "homemade chicken salad with lots of chopped walnuts. But no bread. Just plop it on a bed of greens." (But no ham or pork.)
Where would she go on a rare day away from her work on art?
"Does going outside into my own backyard count? No? Then I guess it would be a trip to hike at Pinchot State Park or maybe a drive to Norristown to buy goodies at my favorite ceramic supply shop."
A musician herself, Kest states that her greatest creative inspiration may be Freddie Mercury "for his creative energy on and off the stage. The way he lived his life was like a rocket." In terms of a favorite song, she lists "Lin-Manuel's 'You'll Be Back' sung by King George III (Jonathan Groff) in his play "Hamilton." It makes me laugh every time and I do a pretty good rendition of it, if I may say so myself."
While we look forward to Kristin's singing solo, we will bring up the less positive pet peeves.
"I have too many to list them all but a few of the pettiest: sopping wet dishrags, barking dogs, the smell of burning plastic, corrupt politicians, a general disdain by society for intellectualism... /whew\ That escalated fast."
Kristin Kest at IlluXcon 2022
5) And finally, here are some words of wisdom from this artist, musician, teacher, and supportive individual:
"Never to take anything personally. How people treat you says more about *their* state of mind, thoughts, and experiences and says literally z-e-r-o about you."
"Other people's opinion of you is really none of your business.
"Be uninterested in your shortcomings; just go do your thing and be yourself.
"That somebody loves you: me!"
And you'll undoubtedly love Kristin Kest's works! Start by exploring them at the Kest Fine Art website, where you can sign up for emailed updates.
All works copyright Kristin Kest and/or Andrew Smith.