About

Kristen Downing is a self taught visual artist who is based in New Orleans, Louisiana, she began her career as a sought after tattoo artist.  As she gained momentum tattooing, her interests developed into a passion for painting. Her contemporary style of creating large paintings of linear shapes juxtaposed vivid colors to form images of lionized and celebrated individuals is a style all her own.  It wasn’t long before Downing’s work captivated the art scene in New Orleans and Atlanta, GA.  Downing’s latest work is largely fueled by the social and political climate of America.  She believes it is the artist’s responsibility to speak to the times and the focus in her latest work is to leave an impression of the current realities in which people of color and minorities live in America. Her creative process is the arrangement of colors instead of painting pictures. Each color expresses an emotion as Downing mostly works with bright bold pigments that are conspicuous and captivates viewers. She actively exhibits and commissions her work in New Orleans, Atlanta and Baton Rouge. Her work has been on display at Contemporary Art Center in the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series and the Louisiana Contemporary Exhibition at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, both in New Orleans, LA.  Downing is continuously working to expand her visibility as she continues to create large paintings that capture moments that not only enamor but also invites viewers of all audiences to be present in the moment in which they live.