Artist Statement
For years, I tried to do it all—chasing my heart and ideas without direction. It left me burnt out, fractured, empty, and unsure if wholeness was even possible. I wore many hats, had a few deep loves, and more than once, lost everything. But there’s a kind of freedom that comes when you stop. When you surrender and let grace lead. Grounding myself in grace—the beauty of undeserved kindness—I met a power that changed my capacity to trust, persevere, and love. Art became my way to heal, to visualize the transformation I was experiencing, and to share something meaningful with others.
Out of that surrender, this visual expression became a language— creating art that helps others unlock strength and hope for their own journey. My process, much like my feelings, wrestles through quiet turmoil before slowly settling into resolution. I work in layers to reflect life’s unfolding—allowing fragments of one stage to inform the next. I love using earthy warmth alongside vibrant colors and organic materials to hold space for authenticity, presence and beauty.. Though much of my practice is formed in solitude, it is never meant to remain there; each piece becomes a way to share strength, truth, and hope.
My hope is that my art becomes more than visual—that it lingers. That it lifts a burden you’ve carried and opens a door for grace.
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 and listening to the sound of a record spinning, Kristy has found joy in slowing down and paying attention. That love for visual storytelling 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 in a unique way—creating work that feels both deep and simplistic.
Drawn to the beauty found in nature and the human spirit, Kristy works with a palette inspired by raw, earthy washes—alongside vibrant color and layered textures—to observe and recreate a space of peaceful energy. Soulful music, and a sense of reverence guide her process, whether she’s painting figures or blending abstraction with realism.
In the studio, Kristy is working on a new collection that declares that true strength is not only in muscle, bone, or stature — but in the unseen presence that exposes, refines, and awakens.—and from the radiant hope that Christ’s saving grace extends to all, inviting us into trust, peace, and color-filled surrender. She is also writing and designing a teacher’s edition, complete with period inspired art lessons, to her currently available book (Art, Faith, and Culture) on how art has expressed faith and cultural change throughout history.
Outside of painting, she regularly partners with charities as a way of giving thanks for the challenges she’s overcome in her own life. For Kristy, creativity is more than expression—it’s a quiet prayer, a conversation with God, and a way of making faith present, one brushstroke at time.
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 December 2025 – The Edge Coffee House, Crete, IL
Group Exhibitions
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. ”