Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Holzer.
Hi Kristin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved to create. It started with crayons, to pencils, to pen and ink, to watercolor, and now to acrylics. I have always used my art as a way of capturing my memories. I would paint my pets, places I traveled to, and local landscapes that I loved.
I never really thought it was feasible to make a career out of my painting, and I was worried about turning my beloved hobby into a job. Therefore, I got a marketing degree instead of a degree in anything fine art related. But, I have found a love for not only recording my own memories in paint but also painting other peoples’ pets and memories as commission work.
When my husband and I moved to Columbia, SC, I began to paint local landscapes and landmarks as a way for me to explore my new home. West Columbia had a little market called Meeting Street Artisan Market that I decided to try vending at. My paintings of spots around Columbia were a huge hit, so I decided to continue painting miniature local scenes and began producing my own prints. This started my first collection – Columbia Minis.
I continued to explore my new state of South Carolina and began visiting the various beautiful State Parks we have. This has culminated in my goal of painting every state park in South Carolina. I have absolutely loved sharing these paintings with people, because almost everyone has a fun memory tied to one or more of South Carolina’s state parks, and I never tire of hearing these stories!
I also have a passion for traveling, so I have started a new series of paintings in every National Park in the United States. This will be a slow-growing collection, but I am so excited to share them with people and hear the memories that these paintings evoke in those who see them!
I am now a regular vendor at Soda City and go to several special events around South Carolina to share my artwork with people. I have been blessed to receive so much support from my local community, and it has been an absolute joy sharing my artwork with people who love South Carolina and the natural beauty of our country as much as I do.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The artist’s life is not an easy life… it is a difficult balance of creating whatever you want to create, while also understanding what is going to make you money. It is just a fact of life that if you can’t bring in an income, it is infinitely more difficult to continue to devote your time and energy to producing artwork and cultivating your creative passions. It has been a long process of balancing what I love to paint with what artwork people want to collect.
Right now, I am struggling with figuring out how to not rely on markets and festivals to get my paintings in front of potential customers. I see the end goal of where I want my art business to be, I just have to figure out the right path to get there! I have been incredibly blessed to have a husband who has supported my artistic endeavors. I would, without a doubt, NOT be where I am today without him.
All things considered, I would say my journey so far as an artist has been a decently smooth road. Have I made a ton of money in this business? Absolutely not. But, it has given me and my husband the flexibility to have an incredible work/life balance that a lot of people aren’t able to experience until many years into their careers. I am so thankful!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I consider myself the stereotype of what people think of when they hear “I am an artist”. I am an acrylic artist who paints landscapes, architecture, wildlife, people, and pets… if there is a picture of it, I can paint it. So, that’s pretty generic…
I think what sets me apart is that I am focused on painting memories, not just pretty pictures. Nothing brings a smile to my face more than when someone is stopped in their tracks when they see my paintings. Not just because they think it’s a pretty painting, but because it sparks a memory.
– “My husband proposed to me there!”
– “I camped there every summer as a kid!”
– “That was where we had our first date!”
– “I flipped my kayak in the river there!”
– “I got married there!”
All these are just a sample of memories I’ve heard from customers who walk through my booth at art festivals and markets, or in comments on social media posts. It is my favorite part of being an artist! I am also becoming decently well-known in my community for the collections I am currently working on. I have three ongoing collections.
The first is my miniature paintings of Columbia, the second (and most popular) is my South Carolina State Park collection, and the third is my National Park collection. I have heard from several people who are waiting for me to paint a particular park, and I cannot wait to get to them!
People have even started calling me “The Park Painter”! Just kidding… I’m the only one who calls myself that. But hey, I might coin the phrase for myself if someone else isn’t already using it!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Hmm… that’s a pretty difficult question. To be honest, for an outsider looking in, I probably don’t seem very successful yet. I have no awards, no galleries I am showing in, I have my artwork stocked in only 1 local store, and I rely on weekend markets to make the most of my money.
But of course, I haven’t tried to get into more galleries, stores, or art competitions (that’s something I need to work on this year). My measurement of success is how well I live the rest of my life, and how I positively impact my church, my community, and my family. That’s where I think it is important to be successful.
But, to give one characteristic I think is important for success, I would say time management. Time is our most valuable yet most finite resource, and our society today has really messed up in this aspect. So much of our time is spent on things that add absolutely no value to our lives or the lives of others.
I still have a lot of room for improvement in how I spend my time, but I try to be very conscious of it. I am a huge fan of time blocking my tasks. I do it for EVERYTHING, from business work to painting, to my everyday tasks, to time for fun and recreation. I try to stay conscious of how I am using my time, and I try to make sure I am using it wisely to improve my own life and the lives of others.
Pricing:
- Original paintings range from $90-$700
- Prints range from $10-$50
- Commission paintings start at $85 for wood slice ornaments
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kristinholzerart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristin_holzer_art/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KristinHolzerArt
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2tiG9GuciD6DurCiYaBW_g
