Kristen Doty

Beauty is everywhere around us in flowers, landscapes, people, animals, and objects, especially when made visually extraordinary by light. I have always been captivated by details that are often unnoticed and have a passion for drawing, painting, and calligraphy. Working in a variety of media including colored pencil, pastel, watercolor, and oil, my goal is to create something beautiful while transporting the viewer into a scene that evokes a memory, emotion, or promotes well-being. A still life allows me to pay attention to details that I find so intriguing and challenging to capture. In the artwork, Inspiration, there is no ink in the well, only clear water. Sometimes, when inspiration strikes, it is clear. The quill is ready. This lily and bud had broken off with very little stem. The perfect vessel to support it was the inkwell. The sunlight streaming through the window created a stunning effect, and the flower, while in itself a beautiful inspiration, seems to also be exuberantly demonstrating inspiration coming from the well.

Kristen Doty was born in Seattle and has lived nearly all her life in Washington State. As a youngster, she enjoyed coloring, drawing and learned calligraphy in high school. Later, when her husband encouraged her to take a watercolor class, a serious devotion to learn drawing and painting began. She continues to learn and hone her skills through workshops, art magazines and books and by studying masterworks in museums and galleries. In addition to creating fine art, she freelances as an art instructor, illustrator, calligrapher, and graphic designer. A notable commission was from the U.S. State Department for the illustration, calligraphy, and design of the Secretary’s 2009 holiday card. She holds signature status in the Colored Pencil Society of America, and her artworks have won awards, been included in juried exhibitions, and published in art magazines and books, as well as prints, posters, greeting cards, and book titles. She enjoys sharing her passion by teaching workshops and at conferences across the USA and abroad. Please visit kristendoty.com.