The Artist Behind the Work

The Story Behind the Studio:

I suppose there is a long story about how this version of my art journey has evolved into where it is now. I have been artistic all my life and I have had several attempts at offering my art to the world throughout my 50+ years. As I look over the art I have created over those decades, I clearly see the different chapters of my life represented in my work. 

My entire family is creative. My father found a new passion during covid and has become an author in his mid 70s. He is currently working on his third science fiction novel. My mother is very artistic and painted and created art while I was growing up. My brother is incredibly musical. He has been involved with bands and writing music since he was a teen. Both of my brother's children are both wildly artsy and are deeply involved in art as well. I have been drawing and creating art since I was a child and I was fortunate to grow up in a household where creativity and the arts were encouraged.

When I was younger, I rode horses and my drawings were primarily based on Equine Art. In my 20's, I went to college for plant sciences and ornamental horticulture and that lead to a career in landscape design that I worked in until my mid 40's. It was in my 30's, I discovered dog training and dog sports with my own dogs and I threw myself head first into it. Dog training and performance dog sports became my literal passion up until recently. My art subjects reflected those stages of my life as well with floral subjects, dogs, and graphic design relating to competitive dog sports. While I was very involved with that, my art took a bit of a back seat. 

In my late 40's and 50's, through some life changes, I found myself changing careers to long term senior care. I worked as a programming director for several years and I brought creativity, art, and engagement to residents of assisted living communities. I am currently the Director of Business Administration for an assisted living community in Rhode Island.

The other life changes that have happened more recently and have driven me back towards art are I have backed dramatically away from dog sports due to the dogs I have now. Being very truthful, this has been a major challenge for me because training, teaching, and competing in different dogs sports for close to 20 years has been the core of my identity. After a good bit of self reflection and soul searching, I decided I needed to return to my art as a source of sparking joy in my life as a replacement to the joy the dog sports held for me. That brings me to where I am now and I am looking forward to this new stage of my life as being more artistic again. 

What I paint, create, and draw now are all pieces of the chapters of my live thus far. The botanical art harkens to the landscape designer years. The colors I choose for paintings now are what I mostly designed gardens with in that past life of mine. The canine artwork and the graphic designs are all parts of the dog trainer and dog sport enthusiast version of me. The landscapes I plan to paint are places I have visited myself or where I currently live. The artwork I create are pieces of my own personal history. The artwork I create means a great deal to me because they all represent the life paths taken to whom I am today. Every piece of art comes from what made me....me. In my 50's and as I look to the future decades of my life, my art will continue to evolve along as I do. 

Welcome to the of the art and design of Cristin Hardy Larson! I hope you find my artwork and design resonates with you and your different chapters of your life as well.