Biography
Artist Statement:
I grew up and have lived most of my life in Kansas. Due to a disability that emerged in my 20s, I spend much of my time sedentary and indoors. Life can get bleak, as I find myself feeling like the woman in Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth.
My abstract art serves two purposes. First, it is a cathartic exploration of my subconscious. I meditate while I paint, making layer upon layer on the canvas. I use acrylic paint, watercolor gel sticks, and a variety of mediums. I scratch into the layers with palette knives and other tools, removing paint to reveal the colors and textures beneath. I utilize surrealist automatism in much of my mark-making to give voice to my subconscious. And since the physical act of painting is an essential part of my work, I drip and pour the paint. I also tilt canvases covered with wet paint on their sides to allow gravity to move the paint. Ultimately, my paintings are a conversation between the natural world and my subconscious mind taking form on the canvas.
Second, once hanging on the wall, my finished paintings are a window into a reality that is different from my typical Midwestern surroundings. They are spaces I've never seen before, filled with color and wonder. Gazing upon them takes me out of the world of Wyeth's Christina and into a positive, playful place. Thus, looking at my finished work is another form of meditation. Pain and worries drift away as I lose myself in the complexities of layers, lines, shapes, and other marks. My hope is that viewers of my work will find a similar sense of release from the monotony and stresses we all share in our daily lives.
Artists that have influenced my work are Hilma af Klint, Willem de Kooning, André Masson, Robert Motherwell, and Mark Rothko.
Education:
2012 Master of Science with Distinction, Psychology, Capella University, Minneapolis, MN
2009 Bachelor of Integrated Studies cum laude, Psychology & Substance Abuse Counseling, Washburn University, Topeka, KS
2000 Associate of Arts, 2 Dimensional Design, Allen County Community College, Iola, KS
Awards & Distinctions:
2016 Honorable Mention, Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS
2016 YouTube Award, NeuroSoup Channel Reached Over 100,000 Subscribers
2015 Second Place, Art in the Park, Winfield, KS
2015 Honorable Mention, Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS
2014 First Place, Digital Art Division, Halstead Arts Festival, Halstead, KS
2014 Purchase Award, Art in the Park, Winfield, KS
Exhibitions:
2020-2021 Group Exhibition, Foot in the Door, Wichita Art Museum, Wichita, KS
2018-2020 Solo Exhibition, Krystle Cole Fine Art Gallery, Wichita, KS
2014 Guest Artist, Psychedelicized, Gallery 1001, Winfield, KS
2013 Two-Person Exhibition, Art Unleashed, Derby Public Library, Derby, KS (with printmaker Gregory Folken)
2013 Selected Group Exhibition, Art of Angel, Angel Station, London, England (curated by Ben Moore) (Lysergic Mandala)
2013 Selected Group Exhibition, Art of Angel, The Candid Arts Trust, London, England (curated by Ben Moore) (Lysergic Mandala)
2012 Selected Group Exhibition, She's Crafty, The New Museum, New York, NY (curated by Maggie Lee) (Lysergic 2nd edition)
2008 Solo Exhibition, Fractal Art, Above & Beyond, Wichita, KS
2008 Solo Exhibition, Psychedelic Fractals, Lotus Leaf, Wichita, KS
2008 Solo Exhibition, Beautiful World of Fractal Art, Il Primo, Wichita, KS
2008 Solo Exhibition, Altered Spaces, Crave, Kansas City, MO
2007 Solo Exhibition, Fractal Creations, Freda and Maude, Topeka, KS
Professional/Teaching Experience:
2018-2020 Owner of Krystle Cole Fine Art Gallery Wichita, KS
Artistic Influences:
Artists that have influenced my work are Hilma af Klint, Willem de Kooning, André Masson, Robert Motherwell, and Mark Rothko.
Nationality
Themes