Kristin Cronic is a Jacksonville-based artist and a drawing professor at Jacksonville University. She began exploring her passion for art while serving as an officer in the United States Navy.
Her newest series of work, “skin/bones,” will be featured at Touche Gallery in Jacksonville on Jan. 16. There will be an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m.
Tell us about your new series of work, “skin/bones.” What inspired it?
“skin\bones” is a series of extra-large original oil paintings of tree forms, which explores how their qualities mirror our own humanity. They take up quite a lot of space, creating an immersive experience for the viewer to interact with and reflect upon.
I see nature forms as portraits and use the act of painting them as meditation on the parts of my human experience that I rarely take the time to sit with otherwise. I often use nature forms from our local ecosystem, which centers the work in a tangible sense of place and existence.
This series started in theory back in 2019. I had just exhibited my first solo show, “canopies,” which also explored these ancient tree forms, but with a different angle. Back then, I had returned to Jacksonville after many years away while serving in the U.S. Navy, and it had struck me that these trees, very much alive, seemed exactly the same. This highlighted how much I had changed on that journey.
As I showed those paintings, I had an inspired idea of what they could turn into. I knew then I was just scratching the surface of what I wanted to say with trees. For six years, I continued to paint them and examine the ever-present question of “why.”
What first sparked your interest in art?
I’ve always loved creating. My parents were very encouraging of it, and my aunt (Kathy Strauss) showed me at a young age what having a professional creative practice could look like.
As I grew up and pursued other things, it became very apparent that I needed creativity in my life to feel like a whole person. The more I grew up and paid attention, the more I saw that art can fit into a person’s life in many different ways; it does not have to be solely as a “full-time working artist.”
For example, I was floored when one of my high school art teachers, Mr. Richard Chamberlain, pulled out a flat file of drawings from his time in the military. That was an “a-ha” moment for me. We can be a lot of things, and shortly thereafter, I took an oath in the U.S. Navy, but never lost the desire to create.
Perhaps my best answer to this is that, despite a society that has a tendency to de-emphasize art’s importance, I simply could not let it go. Artists proved to me again and again that the joy was in the making, and we do not need anyone’s permission to create art, except our own.
Tell us about your journey as an artist.
While attending the U.S. Naval Academy, a military school in Annapolis, Maryland, I managed to maintain a (very small) creative practice, mostly for self-care. It was becoming clear to me that the further I was from art, the more I craved it.
While serving as an officer a few years later, I was stationed back in Jacksonville and had a window of about 10 months that allowed for a little more time to paint. I met Paul Ladnier, who graciously taught me alla prima oil painting. Under his direction, things started to click. That was in 2014. I continued to paint for years after, but I was still serving as an active duty naval officer, so my time was inconsistent. It was not until my husband, Caleb, and I had our first daughter that everything changed.
When she was born, we both made the decision to leave the Navy. I hung up my uniform on a Thursday, and on Sunday, our home flooded during Hurricane Irma (September 2017).
The combination of new motherhood, being pregnant again with our son, and facing this really challenging identity shift into civilian life, on top of the hurricane aftermath, put me in a really dark place. One night, I found the tiniest spark of happiness after taking an hour to paint. It hit me then: If this is still what I’m turning to, then maybe this is what I need to do. The rest is history.
Those early years were hard. Completely starting over in a field that could not be more different than the Navy, while juggling the demands of young children, proved to be immensely challenging. But art has always been a constant, and the same is true today as it was then, as well as when I was 8: Creating makes me happy. I just have to do it.
What does a typical day look like for you?
This is such a fun question! Once again, it could not be further from my routine while serving in the military, and I’m grateful every day for that now.
Mornings are centered around getting our three kids out the door, leaving me with their school hours to get most of my work done. If I’m not working as an adjunct professor at Jacksonville University, I’m in my studio. My work days are short, so I’m relentlessly efficient when I need to be.
The best part of working part-time and as an independent artist is that I get to choose my hours. I try to wrap things up soon after the kids are home so I can be present for their activities and dinner. However, I admit there are seasons I pull up my laptop to the kitchen table, or let the kids tinker in my studio while I keep painting. I’m at peace with that now.
Most nights, I sneak to the studio for painting after the kids go to bed. It’s my favorite way to close out a day, and I try to keep any creative work during this time set aside solely for my own ideas or for playing in the studio. That is so important for fueling inspiration and avoiding burnout.
I try to wrap up by 9:30 p.m. or so, and unwind with a good show with my husband before calling it a night. Maybe one to two times a year, I’ll let myself paint late into the night, but most of the time, sleep is more important. Kids will do that to you!
How do you like to spend your free time?
What’s that? :)
I love spending time with my husband and kids, reading, hiking, going to comedy shows and traveling. As a working mother, I’ll take what I can get!
What is your painting routine?
I think of my creative routine more in the context of a year than a single day. There are many unseen tasks that are required to support a creative practice, and as my career has progressed, I recognize that I need more space for them.
In light of that, the arc generally looks like this:
1. I begin with experimentation and play in the studio. This is so important. This is where inspiration can strike, and it’s by far the most fun part.
2. Research and plan. Sometimes I get an idea and can develop a solid plan almost immediately; other times, the answers come one at a time. I often have three to four series/ideas occurring at one time, so I spend a lot of time writing and organizing my thoughts to help keep them straight.
3. Creative work. This is the “painting” part, the active production. Again, this can happen linearly, but usually occurs in short pockets. I’ll develop a plan for one to three paintings, make them, then go back to No. 2 and continue until a series feels complete.
4. The rest of it, or as I like to call it, “studio admin.” This is the documentation of the work, sharing about it, updating portfolios, exhibiting, etcetera. I always underestimate the mental energy and time this takes. It’s also my least favorite part of the cycle, so this is why I often maintain three to four series at a given time. While one is in this phase, another is in the more fun ones!
This is then layered onto the overall commitments of a year. I usually have an idea that an exhibition is coming, so I can prioritize what I need to meet deadlines.
Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers?
Thank you for having me, and I would love to see you at the opening for “skin\bones” on Jan. 16 at Touché Gallery from 6 to 9 p.m.!
