About Kristianne Koenen

Why I Paint

I started painting in 2006 after a career in critical care nursing, but I have been painting in my head for as far back as I can remember. I’ve always had an artist’s appreciation for color and for the romance of the observable complexities in things and people. Keeping journals since the age of thirteen made me a keen observer of the details I would later put in my paintings.

Growing up in the Northeast where each season is distinct, gave me a particular appreciation for the quality of light and its effect upon color. Moving to California in the 1980’s, I observed how the muted hues of my childhood gave way to the bright contrasting colors of the California landscape. I have been struck by the distinct qualities of both color and light that I have observed in other parts of the world to which I’ve traveled.

What I Paint

The subjects I love to paint are generally colorful and bright. I am mesmerized by the myriad hues within a single leaf or flower petal; the beauty of reflections and swirls on water; the limitless ways clouds and sky appear in different seasons, times of the day and places in the world. I love to observe and record people and animals doing whatever they’re doing, whether a tiny dog bravely guarding a big house, an artist deep in thought at his easel or children intrigued by a mass planting of red tulips. Whatever my subject, in each painting I seek to capture and share with others the complexity and beauty of the world.

My Studio

I live and work in Alameda, California, an island town located near San Francisco. My studio is on the second floor of my home from which, when I’m seated at my table easel, my view is the tops of tall trees, old houses and the ever-changing skies of the Bay Area.