Meet Christine Kuebler | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christine Kuebler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christine, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have vivid childhood memories of working at the outside painting easel in kindergarten at recess time. All the other kids wanted to ride the tricycles, run, climb, jump. But. not me, I wanted to create. I can still see the images I would paint at 5 years old.

From then on I was always drawing from those Lee J. Ames “How to Draw” books during class time in elementary school and then had an opportunity to take a full on drawing class in my high school. The rest was history and I went on to art school.

I firmly believe I am here to be an artist, create and share my works with the world and I think the evidence from my childhood speaks to that. It is my soul’s purpose.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a drawing artist and I specialize in drawing on paper using graphite, pastel, colored pencil, paint markers and ink. I love the technical aspect of drawing, the precision, the hours of focus, the pressure of wanting to get it right. I got back into drawing 7 years ago. I had been out of my art practice for a long time, working as a public school teacher and single parenting. My boys were older and one evening I just sat down, shed a few tears and thought, damn it, I just want to be an artist. I experienced this flood of feelings and knew I had to pick up my pencils again. And so I did.

I just drew and drew and drew. At first I built up my skill set. And then I found I needed to work my creativity. I was dead inside, burned out from working, parenting, living. I knew I had to unclog my mind, body, soul. I started meditating, clearing out the cobwebs, going for long walks. Explored books on geometry in nature and the universe, and went back to learning more about art history. My creativity in my works unfolded and grew. It’s still unfolding, I don’t think you ever arrive. At least I hope not.

This has been an incredibly hard road when it comes to promoting my work. I know I’m supposed to be a business person with regard to that, a marketer, branded, a social media whiz. I don’t feel like any of those things, to be honest. I’m putting myself out there, taking part in local art shows, networking, finding my way even though I really don’t feel like I have the answers or truly know what the right way to do this is. This is what caused me to quit creating in my 20s. It was just so difficult and really didn’t feel good. This time, I’m not quitting and it still feels crazy confusing most days.

At the end of the day, I just go back to the artwork and create and forget the buzz-words, labels and trends. Just keep doing the work. And so, that’s what I do. Even if I never find my way with this, I’ll always be creating. It’s such a good use of time in life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I was going to visit the city for a day with a friend I’d take them to the Pig & The Sprout for lunch or I’d hit up a Rockies game and dive into hot dogs, beer and baseball for the afternoon. If we weren’t too tired I’d head over to the Mission Ballroom for a concert. I really love that venue and have seen so many great acts there. I also have to mention the zoo because the gorillas and orangutans are just so great over there! Why not spend two full days in the city!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents deserve a lot of credit for my path and successes. Mom and dad never discouraged me from going to art school, or any endeavors for that matter. Many parents would be uncomfortable with their kid chasing art dreams because you know, the money isn’t there for it. But my parents just wanted me to be who I am. They never held me back.

My boyfriend Dom has been an incredible support on so many levels. Often times he’s creating art right there with me in the evenings and cheers me on every step of the way. On my hardest days he is there, looking in my eyes saying, “You are the absolute best Christine”.

My boys taught me how to keep going on the days I thought I couldn’t. Parenting made me so much stronger. I love my children so much.

Website: https://www.christinekuebler.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinekueblerartist/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-kuebler-b315b0176/