KRISTEN SELL

Kristen Sell was born and raised in Santa Barbara County, CA. She currently resides in Santa Cruz as a student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Studio Art at UCSC.

I am a multimedia artist primarily working with oil paints, soft pastels and alcohol markers. Through my work I seek to unite the utilization of art as both 1) a cathartic method to express deeper emotions and process experiences, as well as 2) a way to create optimistic visions of what the world can be. My main inspirations stem from surrealism, abstract patterning, the human figure, and the dramatic landscapes of California and natural wonders at large. I explore many themes including having an authentic experience of one’s emotions, interconnectedness, harmony, environmentalism, and the importance of maintaining child-like wonder. Through oil paint and soft pastels I am able to achieve my artistic goals because they allow for the most prime blending which creates a soft, ethereal, and flowing feel, in accordance with my thematic focus on harmony and balance. I am informed by my vivid childhood memories and imagination, personal life experiences, the human condition, the current relationship between humans and the natural world, and exploration of different places and cultures. I create because I simply do not feel human when I am not. First and foremost, art serves as therapy for me. After that, it is a skill to develop and a greater purpose. I believe as human beings we actually need to be creating in order to function healthily. I strongly believe in the therapeutic effects that creativity and self-expression can bring to the individual and the world. I hope to inspire others with my art, contribute beauty to the world, and encourage the joy of creativity within others.

Many of my original paintings are up for purchase. Feel free to reach out to me for more info, or about other commission- work inquiries.

I offer hourly face paint and henna sessions, as well as custom signs and mural work.