Hi, I'm Kierstin! I am originally from the Chicago suburbs, but moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to pursue my BFA. My favorite thing to do in Wisconsin is go camping. There are so many beautiful forests and nature preserves. Even though I live in the city, I love driving out to the nature preserve to go for a nice walk amongst the trees. Art has always been a huge part of my life, and I am so excited to get to share my passion with others! Aside from art, I also really love animals-my cat Banjo and my lizard Wirt are my two sidekicks.
I was always a pretty shy kid, and had a hard time making friends. I remember being in daycare with one teacher who everyone adored, and I really wanted her to like me but was afraid she wouldn't because I was too shy to talk to her. So I secretly drew a picture of her, and when I gave it to her she was SO happy and excited! She even put it up on the bulletin board next to the class calendar. I remember this being one of the first times someone really showed that they cared about something I made for them, and she was always super excited to see what I was drawing after that. Art was the only way I knew how to express myself, and having someone else both understand that and be really encouraging about it was so important for me as a child and growing artist.
As a kid, I always loved making friendship bracelets and bead jewelry. When the pandemic first started, I felt like it was really hard to make the kind of art I usually make. So instead, I just started making friendship bracelets and sending them to all my friends so we'd have a way to keep in touch without seeing each other. I don't think I'm as good as making them as I was when I was younger, but making things to share with other people is one of the best things about the arts.
I am so happy to be offering a printmaking Workshop! Printmaking is used EVERYWHERE, but so many people don't know what it is! I want to show people how important this method of art-making is, and how fun and versatile it can be. I also want to show Learners that there are so many different ways to make art and anyone can do it!
In addition to printmaking, I love creating watercolor paintings and drawings. Lately, I've been learning a lot about clay sculpture and have been having so much fun experimenting!