Picken Kristine

Article by Linda Geisel
The Seeker 8 July 2016

Kristine Picken wielding her Brush at Regional Art Battle in Ottawa

Kristine Picken is the winner at Cornwall's second Art Battle Canada event that took place last November. She competed with some of the best visual artists. She went on to face the challenge in Ottawa at the Regional Finals on June 28, 2016. The competition was fierce as she battled against 12 other artists hailed from Eastern Ontario. Kristine went to work while plugged in to her favourite music and produced this whimsical owl in her allotted time of 20 minutes. While Kristine did not make it to the
Nationals, the experience left her glowing with excitement and anticipation of art battles to come. Kristine would not have advanced this far in visual art without talent and support. She loved to draw and paint since she was a little girl and often received artist kits and supplies as gifts for birthdays and Christmases. Her mother Donna and her Aunt Kimberley Cameron have been her inspirations to this day. She went on to study Graphic Design at St. Lawrence College while continuing with her first love. She took a few art classes but mostly taught herself through trial and error. Kristine's favourite media are
acrylic paint mixed with pencil crayon. Her work is detailed and with great depth. She finds inspiration from movies, cartoons, video games, books, music, photographs and other artists' creations. Her favourite subjects are fantasy and fandom.

Kristine would paint every day if she could. She paints at least once a week
and often puts in large blocks of time in a day. She aims to improve her work, learn new techniques and meet new people. Innately a shy person, Kristine has blossomed through her art and the artist community. It is her dream to work as a professional artist and to create a viable visual art business of her own. The lesson she learned from her art experience has been motivating and affirming. She stated that. "it is important to never under estimate yourself. There have been countless times where I thought I would not accomplish what I had in mind. I did and even surprised myself at times." You can see Kristine's work on her Facebook page: Kikisart
(https://www.facebook.com/Kikisart-339947422880115/)