epilogue. – Krista (Kris) Daniels

Instagram: kris_daniels_
Facebook: Kris Daniels
Email: kdaniels@uwaterloo.ca

Krista (Kris) Daniels is a visual artist who currently resides in Waterloo. She employs a variety of techniques through the forms of drawing and painting. Her key themes addressed are mental health, freedom, and letting go of intrusive thoughts and negative feelings.

Through her exploration of different media, she depicts the highs and lows of life through bright colours alongside single-sentence poetry and phrases. Krista’s work has been exhibited on numerous Instagram platforms as well as the Artery Gallery at the University of Waterloo.

Artist Statement

My topic for epilogue. is a thematic continuation of my practice showcasing the highs and lows of emotional dysregulation. Using watercolour paint, I created a series of paintings on 8.5” by 11” sketchbook paper and placed each one in different environments every day for 24 hours, whether that be directly in the snow, pasted on a notice board, or attached to my boots for the day. The end goal of the project focuses on the idea of  wear-and-tear demonstrated through photographic documentation of each painting.

This project explores themes of mental health, specifically social anxiety. Anxiety can deplete a person’s “vibrancy,” much like how the physical environment exposes the work to the natural elements as well as other forms of tampering. Over the course of the 24 hours, the work has varying displays of how different it looks from the original painting, whether that be weathered or not. The anticipation of not knowing what will happen next is similar to mental health because mental health is ever-changing and something every one of us deals with, making us more connected to each other as well as the world around us.

Interview Questions

What aspects of your life inspire your art?

The aspects of my life that inspire my art are my mental health and my mood when I am painting. As someone who struggles with mental health, painting is my outlet to convey my overall feelings and shows where I am in life. I can look back at one of my works and fondly remember when and where I was when I created it. This is inspirational to me because it makes me experience a wide range of emotions, which I am very thankful for.

What are your preferred mediums and why are you drawn to them?

My preferred mediums are acrylic and watercolour paint. I enjoy using watercolour paint because it gives the freedom to ‘blur away’ mistakes. It is more forgiving than something with more permanence (which is good because I am always changing my mind!). On the other hand, I enjoy working with acrylic paint because it is easy to mix and has long-lasting and bold pigments that can be easily incorporated onto paper or clay.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

How do you see your art practice evolving? In the future, I see myself evolving my practice by using different mediums. I am very interested in the use of clay in a non-traditional sense. Incorporating acrylic paints and clay will create beautiful art pieces, like decorations for home. I also hope to continue my experimentation with designs inspired by old-school American flash tattoos into my acrylic and watercolour paintings because it has a similar theme to my current art style.

What do you want people to know about you as an artist?

I want people to know that I am open to suggestions and new ideas, as my practice is always evolving. Criticism is very important to me as an artist because it is how I grow and flourish.

I also want people to know that I have a recurring theme of mental health in my work. I think it is important to raise awareness on topics such as this to diminish stigma and work toward a more inclusive, accepting society.

What is the most significant thing you will take away from your Fine Arts studies?

The most important thing I will take away from my Fine Arts studies is that the definition of art is broad and ever-expanding. I started the program not knowing much about the wide range of concepts, styles, and emotions that are attached to art and the amount of societal impact art has on people. It has the ability to make people feel, and through feelings comes hope. My Fine Arts studies have shown me that it is possible to think outside the box and still create beautiful, mesmerizing works.