Fox, Kristen

"My first memory is of drawing on the wall in my bedroom when I was a little kid - with ball point pen. I think after that my mother made sure I always had crayons and paper around. I also remember that one of my favorite coloring books was a set of huge, individual snowflakes. I loved the symmetry and geometry of the designs - I didn't realize until much older that they would have been considered 'mandalas'. Another thing I remember from my childhood is taking a pad of cheap newsprint paper and drawing out house floor plans - a new one on each page. Such an odd thing for a kid to do, but I think I liked the creativity and challenges inherent in a given structure (variations on a theme), which is very similar the approach I take with the Celtic work, now that I think about it."

As a self-taught artist, my work usually falls into the 'whatever I feel like creating' category, but most often I create Celtic art, watercolor paintings, and digital photography, both realistic and abstract. (Occasionally I've also been known to sketch, dapple in colored pencil, and do a few acrylic paintings as well.)
My Celtic art style is rather unique - it combines a lot of traditional geometric elements like knotwork and spirals, but in non-traditional ways. The knotwork itself can get pretty intricate, but after you learn a basic technique the drawing itself can almost be a meditation, making all of those over and under weaves! Although some of my Celtic pieces are essentially abstract or like geometrical mandalas, I also love to combine knotwork and spirals with physical objects, like the Celtic Compass, Celtic Sun-Moon Hourglass, or the Celtic Tree of Life pieces.
My watercolor paintings usually happen when I'm taking a break from the more rigid structures of the Celtic art. The abstracts are especially fun as once I lay down the initial structure with light pencil, I'm free to sink into a frame of mind that's all colors and water and flow.

The realistic paintings are a bit more of a challenge for me, as watercolors are a lot more about the shape of a patch of color being layed down, than actual brushstrokes (as in acrylic paints, for example.) I have to concentrate on shape instead of what I think a certain part of the painting is SUPPOSED to look like - if I just do each different shape the end product will usually come together on its own.
Digital photography also lets me get into yet another frame of mind. I enjoy finding small details which, when the photo is taken in macro mode, very close up, reveals a whole new world. Sometimes you can't even tell what the physical object is that I'm shooting - I love that! It's also a good excuse to get out of the house and get some fresh air."