I am an artist living in Stevens Point, Wisconsin with my husband, Isaac and our two boys, Bo (2019) and Kai (2022). I love pizza, donuts, and most of all Diet Coke :) 

I began painting thirteen years ago. I started by practicing for hours on end, learning how to begin with a photograph and reimagine it into a realism painting filled with movement and emotion. I began to offer custom paintings for friends and family and this quickly grew into a side business. Over the years I completed grad school, worked as a high school counselor, got married and had two little boys, all while continuing to perfect the craft. The once unlimited time I had to paint became less and less until it was a precious commodity reserved for after dinners were cleaned up, baths done and books read. Ultimately, with both children being under 4 years old, having open paints and a workable area safe from little hands became almost impossible. My heart and hands still begged me to create so I shifted to a new form of artwork, digital painting. I could still manipulate a tool on a canvas, but now it was an Apple pencil instead of a paintbrush and cleaning up at night became as simple as a click of a button. 

In the summer of 2022, I was stepping out of newborn baby haze and had an idea to create images of iconic locations around my small hometown of Stevens Point in the well-known style of National Park prints. This type of print can be found in large cities across America, but not for small towns. I had always been instantly drawn to the simplicity and flatness of these art pieces that somehow captured the feeling and aura of a physical location. I chose a few of my favorite spots around town and went to work. I quickly learned that I had hit a heartstring. Small towns carry deep pride, and it’s rare for them to be able to celebrate their location with modern, unique art. It has been incredible hearing so many stories of memories tied to these locations and learning about their history and why they make each town special.

-Kinden