By Gena Ansell-Lande
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – It’s impossible to look at artist Kristin Künc’s paintings without thinking your eyes are deceiving you. Her intricate portraits are so detailed it’s easy to assume they are a photograph.
Born and raised in New Brunswick, she began art lessons in high school and continued her passion at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. It was there she found a wonderful artist community with teachers who all had a lasting impact on her work.
After college, she moved to Manhattan and attended an atelier, a workshop or studio for artists. “We practiced art in the historical Beaux-Arts manner practiced in France in the 19th century,” Künc said. I love history and tradition and my work is a constant metamorphosis of weaving classical and modern themes together.”
Like most people during the pandemic, Künc craved more space for her family. “My son was a toddler at the time and we needed a place where I could have a studio at home and my son could play outside,” she said. The family landed on a historic house in Atlantic Highlands built in the early 1600s known as the Bowne House.
As a history buff, Künc immediately fell in love with the location and being near the water certainly helped.
Künc has been painting realistic portraits since 2002 and has created over 100 heirloom treasures for families in New York and New Jersey. A family portrait captures the idea of a person at a particular moment in time; a gift that serves as a permanent record.
“I love the medium because it’s a way to connect to the present moment. It’s something that requires attention over longer periods of time, not just a split second. It’s also a way to communicate an idea or concept, requiring the viewer to slow down and think,” she said.
Children are her favorite subjects to paint and she prefers to work from life as much as possible. “It’s important to know my client in order to find the true character and temperament,” she said. When meeting in person is not an option, she uses Zoom and works from photographs and sketches.
When working mostly in oil and pastels, the drying time is minimal which helps the overall process for a commissioned portrait.
“The aesthetic and taste of my client is at the forefront of my mind, as well as where they intend to hang the portrait,” she said.
Other considerations are the scene depicted in the painting – whether it’s outdoors or indoors – the clothing choice and the number of figures in the painting. All of these factors play a part in the process and the look of the final composition. After the initial session, Künc begins painting, a process that develops over four to six sittings that can last about two hours each, depending on the circumstances. What emerges is an intricate, incredibly nuanced portrait of her subject. “I like to deliver the painting in person when I can and we arrange an unveiling,” she said.
Künc is currently busy working on numerous portraits of children that need to be completed in time for Christmas.
Several months ago, she had a painting recognized by the Salmagundi Club, a prestigious fine arts center in New York City counting artists and collectors as members. This group presents a showcase of exceptional contemporary, figurative art. The club’s exhibition is an overview of representational art that focuses on the human figure and face.
Künc’s work was inspired by a poem by Sylvia Plath called, “Two Sisters of Persephone.”
For more information on her artwork visit kristinküncstudio.com.
The article originally appeared in the December 21 – December 27, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
