Kristy Blackwell uses figurative realism to try to capture a bit of the complex nature of humanity. While she is often experimenting with materials and palettes, her subject matter remains consistent – the depiction of strength alongside vulnerability and the psychological barrier between the inner mind and the infinite. There is common understanding in these relatable images: beauty in sadness and in fortitude, beauty in the exposed and in the protected.Trained in fine art at the University of Guelph and in computer animation at the University of Toronto, Kristy has had an accomplished career as a digital matte painter and compositor on over 60 feature films. Her passion remains rooted in fine art and her experience creating photo-real digital images has inspired her to experiment with various traditional techniques and materials to both create and deconstruct reality on canvas or other supports. Kristy’s work has won various awards and been featured in print and online art magazines. It is held in numerous collections.
“I strive to provide an easy entry into my work with the accessible familiarity of the realistically rendered human form while portraying what I find to be the unnerving tension created between a woman’s strength and vulnerability. I think it can be found in the simplest moment – a glance, a turn of the head, a hand clasping a familiar object.
I try not to overthink a pose or composition because it can quickly lose its authenticity or vitality. I want to capture fleeting moments so I am learning to trust my instincts. Each piece is ultimately carefully executed but where my work has its greatest success, it comes from trusting that flash of a thought.”
“I strive to provide an easy entry into my work with the accessible familiarity of the realistically rendered human form while portraying what I find to be the unnerving tension created between a woman’s strength and vulnerability. I think it can be found in the simplest moment – a glance, a turn of the head, a hand clasping a familiar object.
I try not to overthink a pose or composition because it can quickly lose its authenticity or vitality. I want to capture fleeting moments so I am learning to trust my instincts. Each piece is ultimately carefully executed but where my work has its greatest success, it comes from trusting that flash of a thought.”
