1981             Foundation year Brighton School of Art

1982-1986     BA Visual Communication  and Design, Sydney College of the Arts

1986-2000     Worked as a freelance illustrator London, UK

                   Studied painting at Heatherly School of Fine Art, Chelsea

2002             Return to Sydney and start painting part time

2004            Taught Illustration at Enmore School of  Design

                   Exhibited, Allynbrook Artshow, Gresford

2005             Exhibited, Allynbrook Art Show, Gresford

                   St Thomas Art Show, Willoughby

                   Queenwood - Vision 2 Art Show, Mosman

                   Balmain Art Show, Balmain

                   Solo Exhibition Swerve Cafe, Mosman

2006             Exhibited, Thomas Art Show,, Willoughby

                   Queenwood - Vision 3 Art Show, Mosman

                   Balmain Art Show, Balmain

                   Riverview Art Show, Riverview

                   Frances Keevil Art, group exhibition, Woollahra

2007             Riverview Art Show

                   Frances Keevil Gallery, Double bay

                   Glen Street Gallery group exhibition, Belrose
                   Finalist Paddington Art Prize

Kristen’s formal education in art began at Brighton School of Art in the UK where she studied illustration. Later in Sydney, she studied at Sydney college of the arts, successfully completing a BA in Visual Communication and Design.

After graduating, she illustrated childrens books for authors such as Robin Klein and Margaret Wilde before returning to the UK.

In London, Kristen spent fourteen years working as a successful illustrator with high profile clients such as British Airways and Barclays Bank, illustrating anything from promotional brochures to packaging for food and wine.

During this time she discovered ‘paint’ at Heatherley Art School in Chelsea….this is where her interest in painting began. ‘Heatherlies was where I was first introduced to “real” paint and where I started my move away from the constrictions of illustrating to the free expression of painting.’

Kristen has since moved back to Australia and is now painting with the Edge Group of artists in Sydney.

She works mainly in oil and acrylic on wood and canvas, and is greatly influenced by the Australian landscape, particularly that of the Hunter Valley region of NSW.

‘After so many years in the in the UK, I was struck by the harshness of light resulting in almost bleached flat colour, with very dark areas of contrast within the shadows. This creates a variety of abstract shapes within the environment, from the tangle of bush to solitary gums casting strange shapes on bleached hillsides.’