Who: Kristin DeSantis, Allenspark
Medium: Sculptured metal and mixed media, including oils
Her story: DeSantis always has been one to follow her heart. She was born in New York but loved Colorado. She skied on the Winter Park free style team before it was fashionable. Later, at the University of Delaware, the professors wanted her to paint abstracts; she liked faces and dazzling, deep colors.
She returned to Colorado to compete in cycling and pursue her love of mountain climbing. Art was pushed into the background. After a shoulder injury sidelined her, she began making a wooden bench, and found she loved the sanding best. She transferred the Zen-like experience to scrap metal she found at a junkyard, and cut it with “a jigsaw and lots of WD-40.”
Soon her metal sculptures became larger and she added color. Now much of her work, which resembles a painting or stained glass, is commissioned.
She sketches her ideas on paper, then transfers them to metal. The 3/16-inch aluminum is cut in her Allenspark workshop. Pieces are carved out or welded atop others for a 3-D effect. She grinds and sands in the shop, donning a leather apron, respirator and other safety gear.
It’s brutal work for the petite but strong DeSantis, so she balances it out with days of painting in another light- filled room. Sometimes a piece will be sanded and painted many times. Then a final protective coating is added, all the while maintaining the luminosity of the metal.
“Now art feeds my soul. When you do something you’re meant to do, you’re rewarded,” she says.
Influences: Music (including Joni Mitchell) and myth (especially fairy tales) help shape many of her pieces. “I love birds. They represent freedom, not bound to any time or place,” she says.
And now, without meddling professors, she’s free to create as many faces as she likes. One of her series of works contains Eve images. There are even a few self-portraits.
Cost: Her pieces range from $350 to $18,000, depending on size and intricacy. Her largest piece is 8 feet wide and 5 1/2 feet tall.
Where to find her work: kristindesantis.com
– Cynthia Pasquale
