Kristin Maija Peterson | Minnesota Nature Watercolor Artist
Welcome To A World of Nature & Story
ARTIST’S NOTE
Being in nature is being home. Creating artwork is what makes me whole. Though I declared myself an artist at a young age, I am first and foremost an observer. Since I was a little girl, growing up on the prairie in west central Minnesota, nature has fueled my imagination and my life’s work. Instead of visas and expansive landscapes, I focus on the hidden yet amazing spaces within them. These are the places overlooked, yet they are tiny universes vital to ecosystems as a whole.
Many of my subjects I find outside my front door or in my garden. Other times, they are found while walking through my favorite regional parks and traveling. I learned that awe is an experience essential to our well-being. Through my watercolors and drawings, which are both realistic yet otherworldly, I reveal an awe that can be found in the ordinary, extraordinary facets of nature. This is my way of connecting people, like you, with nature in a whole new way.
Terra Kind Studio Co. is the creation of Minnesota-based visual artist, writer, art director, and designer Kristin Maija Peterson. She exhibits regularly and sells original works and fine art prints through her online shop. Kristin calls herself a beauty hunter. She is inspired by Beatrix Potter, Georgia O’Keeffe, and the many amazing women artists she has gotten to know. One of Kristin’s greatest joys is bringing the diverse beauty of the natural world into people’s lives.
Inside my studio, one of my favorite places to be.
A LITTLE OF MY “ART HISTORY”
An honors graduate of the University of Minnesota-Morris (1984) with a B.A. in Studio Art and Art History
I attended St. Catherine University Women’s Art Institute Summer Studio Intensive (2019) (This was a pivotal time in my artist career)
Spent the past 25 years as an art director and graphic designer, running a branding design studio (Grand Ciel Design Co.)
A mile-stone birthday and it was time I transition to a full-time artist in 2020 to create nature-inspired artwork and botanical watercolor paintings. (I’ve been an artist all my life. That first box of crayons was transformative)
I work in watercolor, ink, and graphite, exploring other mediums and techniques
My current studio is and has been a spare bedroom (dreaming of a big, bright, naturally lit studio to spread out in)
I’ve never been handy with glue. Don’t ask me to glue anything, ever!
As a side passion, I’m a little obsessed with surface pattern design. I’ve been studying how to make patterns quitely in the background for the past 2 years.
On a Personality Note
I’m curious about what makes people who they are given we are a mash of experiences, tastes, eccentricities, culture, language, what pisses us off, and what gives us joy. Naturally, I am curious about what makes me tick. These are a few of the things I found out based on tests and scales. They’re intriguing, all taken with a grain of salt.
PRONOUNS: she/her/hers
(Why Pronouns Matter)
MYERS-BRIGGS: INFJ (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging) That would be me alright. The judging took me aback. I don’t or want to ever judge people. Judging must mean gaging, sizing up a situation, etc.
STRENGTH FINDER 2.0: Input, Learner, Empathy, Intellection, Connectedness
SPARKATYPE: I am a Maven and a Maker. That is, I will dive headfirst into researching and learning what I need to know to make something. But as soon as I feel I know enough, I start the process of making. Making art, making websites, making poems, making a garden, making a sweater, making a souffle, making a mess…
(Learn more about Sparkatypes)
ENNEAGRAM: 4
I’m all on board about the creative nature of 4s, but there is a tendency for self-absorption in 4s that makes me cringe. Being aware that self-absorption can creep up, I do my best to counter this by actively listening and empathizing with others.
CATS OR DOGS? Both! I have lived with both. Currently pet-less, I am drawn to all animals. Horses, birds, insects, frogs, snakes, mice, manta rays, whales, and even spiders!
From the Practical Art World
In describing artwork dimensions, the standard is to list the height first, then the width, then the depth, if applicable.
That’s how artwork dimensions will be listed on Terra Kind Studio Co. (True confession, I have been stating artwork
dimensions wrong for years!)
Hello
Make Yourself at Home
FOR THE LOVE OF BIRDS
While they are ubiquitous, our lives would be silent without them.
FOR THE LOVE OF THE ENVIRONMENT
Featured in the Climate Generation’s EYEWITNESS: Minnesota Voices
on Climate Change
NATIVE WILD SPACES
Hunting for beauty in the wild and messy spaces that go unnoticed. (Unless you happen to be a bright orange peel fungi.)
WORK FROM WAI
Series produced during St. Catherine University Women’s Art Institute Summer Studio Intensive.
Behind the Scenes in the Studio.
Natural found objects, good books, experimenting, and studies lead to progress, discoveries, and new directions. Aside from being outdoors and exploring nature, my studio is my favorite place to be and where it all happens. Come on in and be inspired.
ABOUT
Terra Kind Studio showcases the creative work of visual artist and designer Kristin Maija Peterson. Growing up among prairies, lakes, rivers, and oak savannas along with her project work with environmental organizations have collectively influenced her creative path. Kristin works in watercolor, graphite, color pencil, oil pastels, and pen and ink, interpreting in detail the beautiful chaos she finds in native wild spaces and its inhabitants who call these spaces home. Kristin sees all living creatures as kin and is always kind to spiders.
Contact
e: hello@terrakindstudio.com
p: 651 318 7100
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Be Kind to Everything That Lives.
