September Artist of the Month
Meet Kristin Conant
This wonderful piece was written by the artist Kirstin Conant herself. I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview Conant. Her art is nothing short of magical, perhaps because she fearlessly pursues different techniques and mediums all in an attempt to bring joy to the viewer. For as long as I have followed her art, she has been gracious and generous with sharing her process. I am also touched by her constant praise and encouragement for her fellow artists. ~ Linda Kinch, AOM Feature Writer
A Lifelong Art Journey
My interest in creating art has been lifelong, beginning with finger painting in kindergarten. My art path took many forms and offered occasional employment in the following decades. I took academic studio art studies in college. I designed, silk screened and sold T-shirts. I maintained sketch books, painted and also drew in pen and ink.
Living internationally for most of my twenties shaped my art and the opportunities to create it. Most restrictive of all was cruising aboard a 28-foot wooden sailboat for four years, sailing from England, through Europe, then crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean, where I settled and helped run a charter sailboat for a year in the British Virgin Islands. The intention was to sail to the United States. While cruising, I worked at various jobs and made and sold art where opportunities presented themselves. This eventually led me to become a self-taught sign painter, specializing in lettering boats. Wishing to improve my work, I learned of an art school in Boston, where I completed degrees in both sign painting and commercial art. At the same time, I met my husband and started a family.
Mostly my art remained dormant while raising two sons. That changed in 2016 when I took a giant leap and rented a studio in Framingham. For the first time, I had a dedicated, official space for creating art. It was a gift that I gave to myself. I’m so grateful to have the time, space and materials to create full time. What was even better was the unexpected pleasure of discovering other passionate artists and becoming part of a large and growing community of them. Community brought opportunities and, especially important, exposed me to the compelling work of fellow artists. I was lucky to meet Margaret Gerding, an especially skilled painter and teacher, and I’ve taken many workshops from her. That has accelerated my learning.
Art is meditative. I love to experiment with a variety of different subjects and materials. Because of the freedom to create what I wish, more and more I seek to express how a subject makes me feel, rather than to accurately depict objects or scenes. It’s gratifying when my work can make others feel something too.
Paint and all types of art materials remain as magical to me as those enticing pots of finger paint in kindergarten! Understanding color mixing and different media is a lifelong pursuit. And as a wise artist friend told me, “It’s not what you see, but how you see” that determines the success of the piece. Painting is often hard work and even discouraging, especially when I’m dissatisfied with the results. At other times the process flows and delights me. Especially important is learning to let go of the inevitable failures. They are part of the learning process, and if I don’t ever fall down, that means I’m not moving forward.
If you frequent local beaches during the summer particularly on Cape Cod, it is hard not to be aware of great white sharks. It was nearly 50 years ago when the movie JAWS was released and terrified swimmers, particularly those who enjoyed an evening swim. The iconic image on the movie poster is the artwork of WSA member 
Annie Newman was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She attributes her developing love of art to the vibrant city and vivid visual landscapes that surrounded her. Many of her friends growing up had parents who were artists or art dealers. She attended Northwestern University where she studied Art History but never did much fine art at that time herself. She went to graduate school for architecture and has enjoyed a successful twenty-year career in the field. As she puts it, she “always sat on the sidelines” of the art world.
Friedman, who had always loved doodling with colored pencils, began to take this medium more seriously. She loved the transparency of the colors and became adept at layering colors to come up with interesting and vibrant hues: “I found subtle nuances that really made the artwork pop.” Getting ready for a show in Newport, RI called “H2O” she came up with idea of drawing beach stones. “I wanted to explore the stones in water and I really enjoyed drawing the meniscus line.” She entered “Amber Bowl” into a contest by Artist Magazine and won First Place in Colored Pencils. “Counterpoint in Green” was featured on the cover of International Artist. She is a signature member of the Colored Pencil Society of America and an award-winning member of the WSA. The DeWitt Pencil Company in England commissioned a drawing from her, and used her work for the cover of their one of their pencil tins. In July of 2022, Ikea will be distributing two of her stones images globally.
Maria Babb was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she first began to love the vibrant colors that are celebrated throughout her culture. She was always drawn to art but did not think it would become such a big part pf her life. Babb was president of her high school art club, but had no formal training as a child or young adult. She briefly thought about majoring in Commercial Art in college but practicality took over. She married right after college, and started a family as well as a successful career in banking. Needless to say, she did not have a lot of time to pursue art, but even then she used the time after her children were in bed for therapeutic crafting; “It was such a relief of tension and I have always been a night owl.
