Artist Statement
My art is about the truth of our identity in Christ— the beauty of each unique soul, and shining light on our value. Nature’s majesty echoes this truth and shares the energy of His sustaining grace. I like painting women to celebrate personal expression and shared humanity, and sometimes paint animals to add nuance to identity and character.
After all, the greatest risk any of us will ever take is to be seen as we truly are — and in that risk, we discover the courage to live with integrity and grace.
In my process, I start with washes of color and drawn lines, but I usually find myself pushing into high contrast, more color, and a variety of materials to express a unique aspect of the subject. In the final stage, I step back and balance it again. That tension mirrors life for me… the wrestle between fragility and strength, moments of doubt and faith. In the end, I want each painting to carry honesty, courage and the truth of who we are.
Bio
Kristy Lausten is a fine artist based just outside Chicago, where the quiet of the Midwest meets the rhythm of a creative life. From her earliest days sketching to the sound of a record playing, she found wonder in what others often overlooked. That love for exploring and expressing inner worlds led her to earn a BFA from Columbia College Chicago and later complete the Mastery Program at the Milan Art Institute. Her background in art, design, marketing, and advertising has sharpened her ability to see things differently and create work that feels both restorative and liberating.
Drawn by compassion for nature and the human spirit, Kristy paints with washes of color, layered depth, and open space, often threaded with veins of gold. The result is a dreamlike energy shaped by soulful music and a sense of reverence that guides her process in expressive realism.
In the studio, Kristy is working on a new collection that declares the radiant hope that Christ’s saving grace extends to all, revealing the beauty of the rejected, the strength of the misunderstood, and the truth of our adoption as sons and daughters. She is also developing a teacher’s edition to accompany her book Art, Faith, and Culture, which explores how art has expressed faith and shaped cultural change throughout history.
Outside of painting, Kristy regularly partners with charities as a way of giving thanks for the challenges she has overcome in her own life. For her, creativity is more than expression—it is healing, and a way to celebrate the truth of our identity and the God who restores it.
CV
Professional Summary
Kristy Lausten is a contemporary painter working in the realm of abstract realism. Using oil and mixed media, she creates soulful, expressive pieces that reflect a source of strength, hope, and connection for others. Rooted in a sense of spiritual presence and emotional depth, her art invites contemplation and transformation. Kristy also leads workshops and private lessons designed to help others find freedom and purpose through creativity.
Exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
Coming August 2026 - Crete Creative Gallery, Crete IL
Coming December 2025 – The Edge Coffee House, Crete, IL
Group Exhibitions
Coming March 27th - 29th - West Loop Contemporary Fine Art Fair, Chicago IL
9/28/2025 - Milan Art Gallery, Emerging Artist Exhibition, Sarasota, FL
9/20 - 11/20/2025 - Kingdom Animalia hosted by Exhibizone.
8/2025 - Her Canvas Art Exhibition hosted by Blue Koi Gallery.
8/2025 - Feline Splendor, Crete Creative Gallery, Crete IL
8/2025 - Wine, Jazz and Art Festival, Bicentennial Park, Joliet IL
8/2025 - Chalk & Bubbles, Wildflower Farm, Monee IL
7/2025 – Friends of The Edge Art Show, The Edge Coffee House, Crete IL
8/2024 – Chalk & Bubbles, Wildflower Farm, Monee IL
Reviews
“Looking at Kristy’s paintings, one would wonder “is this what a prayer in a painting looks like?” As where most of us fall on our knees and pray, others pray with a paintbrush in their hand in front of an easel and an empty canvas. Where we use words and cries for supplications, this artist fills the empty canvas with pains, sorrow, tears, joy, thankfulness, and gratitude. How can you color an emotion, how does one express gratitude with color, shapes, hues, lines, and curves through different mediums that transcend? All done in harmony with one’s soul?! Pieces of the artist soul are gathered and arranged together. It’s an inner process invisible to the outsiders, as only the finished product is shared with us. However, there is a transformation of one’s inner being, a metamorphosis that takes place which God ordains and allows to happen for our growth, oftentimes even for our survival. ”