BIOGRAPHY
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Kristen Margiotta was born in Delaware, the first state, in December of 1982. She grew up attending private schools in the city of Wilmington, a city filled with old buildings, iron gates, and history. Her father moved to the States from Italy, settling in this city where there is a prominent Italian popluation. She was witness to how hard her parents worked, and Kristen's family contiues to be an inspiration for her perseverance in establishing her art carreer.
From the time she can remember, Kristen loved to draw and color. Growing up, she displayed an interest for creepy children's books and cartoons, Halloween, and dressing up. Kristen began to seriously pursue her art carreer in high school, focussing on drawing and pen and ink. She hated painting. Kristen decided to apply to the Art Department and the Visual Communications Program at the University of Delaware, where she was accepted through the twp competative application periods to see through her education at this university. She concentrated on Illustration and was one of the first to cross over to Fine Arts at the same time, taking Painting classes for 3 years. Kristen was priveleged to study with some of the best Designers, Illustrators, and Painters, both at UD, and study abroad in London.; David M. Brinley, Peter Williams, Satwinder Sehmi, Carrie Ann Baade, Alan Fletcher, just to name a few.
From Middle-School to her Junior year of college, she drew and painted her dark imagery in a realistic style. Kristen is influenced by the Old Masters, especially Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Durer. After her trip to London in 2004, a new style emerged where Kristen was fusing imaginary and strange worlds with realistic painting techniques. Kristen illustrates these creepy and innocent characters, yet utilizes the rules of value, and lighting. She explores experiences and feelings that all people can relate to such as loneliness, isolation, and fear. People always ask "wow, what was your childhood like growing up?", which is amusing everytime. For the most part, it was positive, but she definitely had some tough experiences that most people have to deal with. She feels that by exploring and acknowledging the bad, goodness and stregth can from it.
Within her first year of college graduation in 2001, Kristen was published through Delaware Today Magazine's 2006 Artist Calendar and accepted into the annual juried exhibition: DE Women's Conferance Fine Art Exhibit. Since then, she has been the featured artist at a variety of art events, and held her first solo show in Spring of 2007 in Wilmington, DE. Kristen was granted a solo show through the Delaware Division of the Arts for Spring of 2008 at the Mezzanine Gallery in Wilmington.
Kristen also makes and sells hand made merchandise such as t-shirts, handbags, books, stickers, prints, etc. . .an idea she began to explore in college. Kristen is currently building her online store to sell her merchandise, and is also pursuing children's book illustration, novelty designs, and gallery events.
