Rising Stars: Meet Kierstan Craft

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kierstan Craft. 

Hi Kierstan, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I always knew I wanted to be an artist. Art was the one thing that made sense to me besides books. If I wasn’t drawing, I was reading, and if I wasn’t reading, I was drawing. Growing up I was constantly drawing characters and scenes but had trouble finding a niche. During the pandemic I was able to find myself a little more and started painting the characters I was reading about. Mythology and fantasy has always been a bit of an outlet for me. Incorporating mythology into my art has been fun, and I’m hoping to inspire people to look more into the stories as well. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has never been easy. Constantly being told by my family that I needed to find a real career was the start of it. Growing up really poor instilled a sense of work ethic that art didn’t fit into, but I chose to continue. Going to college and being told my art wasn’t “real art” because I was drawing characters made it harder. The hardest part is knowing this is my outlet and getting told by galleries, shows, and markets that my art isn’t what they are looking for. 

Being told that my outlet doesn’t fit a mold can be difficult. It’s not the right career, it’s not “real art”, it’s not good enough. All I ever hear when I’m told this is, “You’re wrong for what you do and you should change.” 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I focus in high-contrast color multimedia portraits of mythological and astrological people. I like to incorporate aspects of the person into the paintings and really get messy with it. You’ll see a lot of drip work and splattering. I’m really proud of my ability to not stop. Nothing about my paintings is boring. You’ll always find a little something new or funky in each piece. 

Contact Info:

• Email: Kierstancraft@gmail.com
• Instagram: @kcraftart