Kristen Powers: : Illustration + Rubber Stamps

Welcome to the studio of Kristen Powers! Kristen affectionately calls this her "Ludio" because her studio is also her living room.

Kristen is a working artist and an art student, so her work right now is very diverse.

She "got serious" about art in 1993 when her parents opened a rubber stamp company. She became a stamp designer and traveled around the country teaching and demonstrating her techniques.

Her hand carved stamps are still one of her best sellers.

After this she started painting. She displayed her work at a Surtex show and soon began designing fabric.

"That catapulted me to go back to school," Kristen said. She loved her work, but didn't have a community of peers. She wanted to meet like-minded people and have a network of support.

 "I realized that when you're artist, you have to be a business person as well," she said.

Kristen's studio is organized and full.

Her family moved into this space last year and Kristen's studio needed to be incorporated into her living space.

 "I stay so organized here because I have to," she said. 

It's fun to see glimpses of Kristen's family (husband + three kids) sprinkled throughout.

Her finishing station is in her kitchen, also beautifully integrated with the rest of her home.

Here is her inspiration board.

Her collections are interspersed with her supplies.

"I have an affinity for the miniscule," Kristen said, "I love creating the small stuff...

"and I love making artist trading cards."

She also loves sharing her techniques.

In 2011 Kristen plans to expand her stamp line, add her paintings to her online shop, teach and create more tutorials.

She'll finish her BFA in May and will have her senior show on April 28th, at the Morton May Gallery. (I'll post it again here as we get closer to the date.)

Kristen's etsy shop

Kristen's blog

Thank you Kristen!