Inside the Studio with Kristen Guest

Kristen Guest is an award-winning and published full-time artist and art instructor in Southern California. She graduated from art school at Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Art Education, that focused on painting, book arts and printmaking, and has been teaching realism painting since 2004 and abstract painting since 2018. We went inside the studio with Kristen to learn about her creative process, where her penchant for bold colors and clean lines comes from, and to take a peek inside her (remarkably clean) workspace. 

Our Conversation with Kristen Guest

Where are you from originally and where are you located now?
I grew up mostly in Tennessee, and now I'm located in San Diego.

Tell us about your artwork and style in general.
Optimistic, modern, colorful… based on my home in San Diego and Hawaii, where we have family. 

How did you get started as an artist?
I've been drawing since as far back as I can remember, and always made art growing up, so it was a natural path for me when it was time to go to college.

Walk us through your artistic process – how do you create a piece or series from start to finish?
I make sketches, take photos, and visit the places I paint about. In the studio, I paint a series and work on several pieces as a group, doing them all in stages together. Once they reach the halfway stage, I then focus on each one individually until completion. Having them all with me in my studio allows me to look at my paintings as a unified body of work, to be true to my style, and to not fall into the trap of making “cookie cutter” art. A series may involve 8-12 new artworks ranging in size from 20" x 30" up to 40" x 70".

What does an average day as an artist look like for you?
Every day is different because I offer different things as an artist. Monday to Wednesday, I teach and finish my computer tasks. Thursday through Saturday are my preferred days to paint once everything else is completed, and my brain is more freed up to be creative. I like to compartmentalize in this way versus painting daily in short bursts, because once I start painting I don’t like to be interrupted and want to stay in my flow and thoughts. So my painting sessions are often long and last all day. Shipping art from online sales and delivering art to solo shows and galleries that represent me will happen around my paint days, usually the day before or after.

When I’m in a sketching phase, I like to do that in the morning with a cup of coffee… mainly because that’s when I’m the most lucid and less resistant.

You’ve said that you pull inspiration from vacation destinations like Palm Springs or Hawaii, combining those with a Mid-Century Modern design. What is it about Mid-Century Modern design that you gravitate toward?
I grew up listening to oldies radio that my parents would have playing, and it stuck. From there came a love for all things 50s and 60s—the cars, the colors, the design sense. The Abstract Expressionist artists of the time are also among my favorites.

What’s the next inspirational travel destination on your list to visit and why?
We’re going back to Palm Springs this month. March is my favorite time to be in the desert. The weather is much warmer than at home (San Diego doesn’t warm up until the end of June and our ocean water is too cold in the spring to enjoy). I can enjoy being in the pool early in the year when we go to Palm Springs. I plan on capturing photos of lounge chairs and serene skies, and visiting some of the furniture spots in town to research mid-century modern furniture.

Your color palettes are typically bright and striking. Can you talk a bit about how color plays a role in your process and work as a whole?
I’m a big-time color lover and I think being a generally optimistic person affects my color choices, too. I love bold shapes and color that’s just as bold. To balance out the boldness, I include supporting hues that are much lighter, softer, or toned. They amplify the main colors and make them appear even brighter. There’s a lot of color theory that goes into my mixing style and the look that I want my paintings to have.

I often use acrylics like watercolor, layering sheer colors over each other to create the final look, similar to Rothko. And also like Rothko, I like my colors to have an intentional and emotional impact. And then I will leave accent colors on the edges from past layers, like Wayne Thiebaud.

What is your favorite, or the most rewarding, part of your creative process?
The actual painting… but more specifically: the feel of moving the paint around. That’s my goosebump moment when creating.

What is the most challenging part of your creative process?
I don’t use tape to get my clean/hard edges - I like the human element that comes from seeing a slight wobble or imperfection. I think it lends itself well to the abstract style and in this day and age of AI, it’s nice to see the hand of the artist when viewing artwork.

Sometimes I also will create a line, not by drawing a line but by painting two neighboring colors very close to each other and the gap in between becomes a line. Some pieces you can see this effect. Again, more wobble…more interesting shapes and edges…more human-ness to my work. But it is very challenging to achieve this and I often obsess over it a little too much.

Are there any particular artists who have inspired you or to whom you feel connected in some way?
So many! But mainly Henri Matisse, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Wayne Thiebaud, Ray Eames, Agnes Martin, and Frank Stella.

From your first painting to those you create now, how would you say you’ve grown as an artist?
I’ve learned to not just copy the world around me but to interpret and translate it to others from my own point of view.

If you could give one piece of advice to yourself as a younger artist, what would it be?
Pursue finding my artistic voice and style and how to write about my work sooner.

Taking a broader view, what is your goal as an artist?
I always want to do my best work with each series, but more important to me is being able to express my intentions - not just sometimes, but every time. I feel like I’m still chasing that goal but it drives me. I’m always wanting to mix a specific color or have the art give off a specific feeling or match the theme I chose for a series. I find that the more intentional my work is, the more I’m able to communicate exactly what I’m trying to say with my work.

Now for something different: Tea or coffee?
Coffee. Nespresso!

Morning person or night owl?
I used to be a night owl and be up until 2:00am, but now I am preferring the mornings because I like slow starts to my day.

Books or movies?
Movies! I love getting lost in visuals and music.

Mountains or beach?
Beach. :)

Cake or pie?
Pie. :)

Finally: What’s your favorite place on earth?
Being home ❤️. I have a lovely and peaceful home that I get to enjoy with a dedicated studio space and an amazing view of the mountains. I get to see and hear birds and wildlife throughout the day—all while having some of the best weather on earth. I don’t think any vacation spot could replace it.

To explore all of Kristen's original paintings, visit her artist collection here.