:: ABOUT ::

Guest Galería Abstract Artist Bio and Statement

Artist Statement

About Kristen's work and themes behind it.

I started making art at a very young age with just a pencil and literally any scrap of paper I could find. My parents couldn’t feed me enough paper before I’d fill them up and ask for more. I am grateful to have had such support. It’s what I’ve always done and they knew, as did I, that I would be serious in pursuing art as an adult. Being an artist is more a part of who I am than what I do.

Although I went to school for art education and learned a variety of new mediums, my current work, filled with a wide variety of mark making and still reflects my love for drawing. I’m in love with the materials: the smell, the texture, and how it feels in my hand as I move it around. Powdered graphite, jumbo graphite sticks, pumice gel, carbon, water soluble wax crayons, oil pigment sticks, and lumber crayons are just some of the things that I will incorporate into my abstract paintings.

My Love for the Desert

Turning inspiration from nature into artwork.

Stories are told in overlapping layers, marks, and texture. I take the beauty in my surroundings and translate the desert landscape into fine art that brings beauty and life to the everyday experience. Each painting starts with a feeling and ends with a story.

Studio Tour - coming soon!

Exhibit & Commentary Videos

Get to know the art through the eyes of gallery curators.

Kate Ashton, owner of Ashton Gallery and art mentor at Art on 30th in San Diego, CA, gives commentary to "A Place In The Sun," which won first place in the "75 & Sunny" regional exhibit.

"The Power of Small Things" National Exhibit 2019 at the Port Angeles Fine Art Center. My artworks selected for this show are featured at the :42 minute mark.

Kate Ashton, owner of Ashton Gallery and art mentor at Art on 30th in San Diego, CA, gives commentary to "Standing in the Shadows of Love."

Kate Ashton, owner of Ashton Gallery and art mentor at Art on 30th in San Diego, CA, gives commentary to "Overjoyed."

Artist Bio

About the Artist

Kristen Guest is an award-winning abstract expressionism artist and certified art instructor in San Diego, California. She studied Art Education at Middle Tennessee State University because it seemed to be the most natural path: she loved art and she loved helping others. Currently, Kristen works out of her studio at the Bernardo Winery and teaches abstract painting classes at Art on 30th, an art center located in the North Park’s vibrant arts and culture district. She is best known for using various muted desert hues and incorporating a wide variety of drawing materials in her abstract work, giving it a “fresh,” expressive, and gestural feeling.

Her work is currently on display at Ashton Gallery in San Diego, CA. Kristen’s abstracts have been selected and featured on the homepage of online galleries Saatchi and Artfinder, as well as featured in various Editor/Staff Pick highlights, including "Ones to Watch 2020." She has been juried into local San Diego exhibits, prestigious regional exhibits at the Athenaeum in La Jolla, CA, and national exhibits in Washington DC, San Diego, CA, and Port Angeles, WA.

Representation

Ashton Gallery
San Diego, CA
ashtonartgallery.com

Online Galleries

Artfinder
Saatchi Art

Publications

"Abstract Painting:
For Today's Abstract Artists"
by Kate Ashton
Available on Amazon.com

Education

M.F.A. coursework in Media Design
 Full Sail University
 Aug 2016 - Jan 2017
B.S. in Art Education 
Middle Tennessee State University
Aug 2000 - May 2007

Experience

Art on 30th
Staff, Instructor & Resident Artist
Feb 2017 - Present
The Art Stash
Class Instructor
Jan 2017 - Mar 2018 
TakeLessons.com
Private Lesson Instructor
Aug 2016 - May 2017
Inspire SD Studio
Event Instructor
Apr 2014 - Feb 2015
MilSpouse Meetup.com Group
Art Coordinator
Workshop Instructor
Mar 2009 - Feb 2010 
Paper Source
Chicago, IL & Carlsbad, CA
Staff
Workshop Instructor
Mar 2008 - Feb 2010 
Smyrna High School
Interim Instructor
Aug 2007 - Dec 2007 
The Art House
Resident Artist & Instructor
Aug 2004 - May 2006

Recognition

Honorable Mention
“Full Circle"
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego
Jun - Jul 2021
“Staff Picks"
Artfinder.com
September 2020
Handpicked to show at
The Other Art Fair's
"Los Angeles Online Studios"
SaatchiArt.com
April 2020
“Artist of the Month"
Artfinder.com
March 2020
"Ones to Watch 2020"
with artwork featured in page header
Artfinder.com
January 2020
First Place
“75 & Sunny”
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego
Jul - Aug 2019
Juror's Choice
“Double Trouble”
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego
Jun - Jul 2019
Featured in a staff-curated collection
SaatchiArt.com
May 2019
Honorable Mention
“Going Green”
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego
Jul - Aug 2018
First Place Winner for Tennessee House of Representatives (District #70) with 1 Year Exhibit in the Washington D.C. Lincoln Tunnel
National Artist Competition
1997 - 1998

Solo Exhibits

Resident Artist Showcase
BW Tasting Room, San Diego, CA
Apr 2021
"Pedals for the People" Benefit
Ashton Gallery, San Diego, CA
Sept 2019

Group Exhibits

"Tuxedo"
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego, CA
Apr 2021 - May 2021
"#Obsessed"
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego, CA
Mar 2021 - Apr 2021
"Multiplicity"
Juried Online Show
Jen Tough Gallery
Online
Dec 2020 - Jan 2021
"Wintergreen"
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego, CA
December 2020
"Small Works"
Juried Online Show
Jen Tough Gallery
Online
December 2020
"Surf City Virtual Arts Fest"
Juried Online Marketplace
Huntington Beach City
Online
Nov - Dec 2020
"Inspired"
Member Annual Show
Huntington Beach Art Center
Huntington Beach, CA
Nov - Dec 2020
"Natural Worlds"
Juried Online Show
Jen Tough Gallery
Online
Oct - Nov 2020
"Flora & Fauna"
Juried Online Show
Jen Tough Gallery
Online
October 2020
"Quarantine Aquamarine"
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego, CA
Aug - Sep 2020
"The Many Faces of Red"
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego, CA
Jan - Feb 2020
“Centered on the Center”
Annual Regional Show
Huntington Beach Art Center
Huntington Beach, CA
Jan - Feb 2020
"The Power of Small Things”
Juried National Show
Port Angeles Fine Arts Center
Port Angeles, WA
Aug - Sep 2019
“28th Annual Juried Exhibition”
Juried Regional Show
Athenaeum Art Center
La Jolla, CA
Jul - Aug 2019
"Creamsicle"
Juried Regional Show
Ashton Gallery
San Diego, CA
Jan - Feb 2019