Spruill Arts
Education and Development Director

spruillmetals@yahoo.com
Kristin's Classes

After graduating Summa Cum Laude Georgia State University with a Bachelors in Studio Art, Kristin now translates her own artistic style through unique one of a kind works of art including small sculptures, mixed media images and sterling silver jewelry with semi-precious stones. As a current jewelry and metalsmithing instructor and Education Director at The Spruill Center for the Arts, Kristin shares her passion for all things creative with her students and co-workers.

Artist Statement -

I began creating stories as a child growing up on the banks of the Chattahoochee River where my childhood was full of magical wonder and a fascination with nature. Found objects from the riverbed became the basis for the creation of many stories for me. Sometimes I found myself connecting the objects to fairytales I had heard as a child, like those treasures were the proof that the stories were real. Twisted sticks and roots became the lost walking stick of an old hag. Discarded trash, like an old refrigerator, became an underwater den for a magical fish. Once, we found an old black iron cauldron that I am certain once belonged to a witch who only came out when the fog rolled down the river on summer nights. Making stories about these found treasures, or assigning their ownership to familiar fairytale characters gave me great comfort from some less than shiny childhood moments.

In my adult life I have found that making art is my way of creating a visual narrative. My art is deeply rooted in my personal history through its relationship with the archetypical images, symbols and ideas found in fairy tales, folklore, and mythology. Through the process of creation I am able to access past memories, stories, and archetypes in order to use them as a means of interpreting my past, present and future.

I choose to work in a variety of media such as photography, fiber, found objects, semi-precious stones and metal in order to create a layered visual language that evokes a story of history and growth. My work serves as a method of preserving the tradition of storytelling and as a means of passing it down through the generations as something sacred and meaningful. My small metal works and jewelry pieces are meant to be personal reminders and small keepsakes of the verbal history transformed emphasizing the presence of the story within us in order to frame what is beautiful within but also to examine, understand and embrace what is dark and shadowy in order to create an internal balance.