As a Colorado Springs native, artist Kristy Kensinger says that she is still inspired every day by the beauty of Colorado. From her home tucked into Cheyenne Canyon, she watches the seasons shift outside her window—brilliant blue skies against warm red rock, or a single wildflower blooming too soon against the crisp white snow.
“It’s hard not to draw inspiration from this place,” Kensinger says.
Most of Kensinger’s art comes from the world she sees around her—but it doesn’t stay rooted there. With a curious eye and an intuitive approach, her paintings leave space for viewers to find their own memories reflected back to them.
“My hope is that someone will look at a piece and not say, ‘Oh, that’s Garden of the Gods,’ but instead connect the art with their own memories of time and place.”
From Graphic Design to Creative Freedom
Kensinger earned a degree in Fine Arts and Art History at the University of Colorado Boulder, with a focus on digital arts. After graduation, she worked as a graphic designer, both in the corporate and freelance spaces.
While she enjoyed collaborating with clients, Kensinger eventually felt pulled back toward a more personal creative practice.
“One day, I was just sitting in my cubicle, eating lunch by myself, and I thought, ‘What am I doing?’” Kensinger says. “For so long, I had helped clients create their vision, but now I wanted to create my own.”
Curiosity as the Center of Her Work
Leaving the corporate world was daunting, but Kensinger says it allowed her to reclaim a sense of play in her work. She often takes walks with her children, photographing moments as they explore—small sparks of joy that later resurface in her paintings.
“I think we can kind of lose curiosity and play in our day-to-day as adults,” she says. “But sometimes my best work comes from a moment when I was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know where that was going.’”
That same philosophy carries into her teaching. Through workshops and classes, both online and in person at Auric Gallery, Kensinger encourages students to develop their own artistic voices rather than replicate a single result.
“I hope that everyone who takes my classes leaves with a sense of empowerment to take risks and step out of their comfort zones,” she says.
Approachable Art for All
After recently completing a series focused on wildflowers—drawn to their “untamed beauty and remarkable resilience”—Kensinger says she has been increasingly inspired by moody clouds and expansive horizons.
She also believes strongly that art should be accessible. By offering her work in a variety of formats, from originals to prints and stationery, Kensinger hopes more people can live with art that feels both personal and attainable.
“I want to find ways for people to find art that feels meaningful and affordable, from a local artist,” she says.
Kensinger continues to paint not just what she sees, but what she feels. Her work doesn’t ask viewers to recognize a specific place—it invites them to remember their own.
In a world that often moves too quickly, her art offers a quiet pause—a moment of wonder, reflection and return to curiosity.
Website: https://www.kristykensinger.com/
Instagram: @KensingerCreative
“I think we can kind of lose curiosity and play in our day-to-day as adults.”