Growing up, I was always attracted to creepy, scary, but fun things. Scary Stories to tell in the Dark, R.L. Stine books, and movies such as Return to Oz or Alice in Wonderland were some of my favorite past times. Halloween could never come sooner, and playing dress up or make believe in imaginary haunted houses are still memorable to this day. I guess I was genetically predisposed to be this way, what else could it be?

My interests in art began as a child, but when I began to seriously pursue painting and illustration in college, I was painting in a very realistic, dark manner, with some elements of exaggeration. The Old Masters such as Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci have been a huge inspiration to me in a technical and conceptual sense. I then began to explore these doll-like characters that appeared so sweet and beautiful, but were having unpleasant experiences. In a way, those characters, and my characters I currently paint, are autobiographical in a sense. Some of them even resemble me.

My hometown of Wilmington, Delaware is filled with so much history; history that I grew up seeing and learning about. Old brick and stone buildings fill the downtown area, and the historic victorian and colonial homes give great character to this aged city. American Illustration was born here and where the Du Pont family flourished. I was also born and raised Catholic, so being exposed to imagery of a crucified Jesus, and similar depictions were not uncommon. Trips to cemeteries with wrought, iron gates, adorned with old and decorative tombstones was the norm to visit deceased family and friends. Cemeteries are one of the most peaceful places you could visit. No one is there to bother you; all is quiet. My paintings mirror these aged and gloomy elements.

The best piece of advice I was given was at a talk given by Marshall Arisman in 2001. He said, “you need to paint what you know”; I paint what I know and love. Beneath the often muted colors, and imaginative settings, my characters are experiencing feelings and fears we all do or have at some point. It’s about being human, and tapping into this childhood innocence and imagination we all experienced or had lack thereof." - Kristen Margiotta

Kristen Margiotta

Illustrator
www.kristenmargiotta.com