What are the rituals or routines you return to each day to stay grounded?
Not resisting. It’s a constant practice of not resisting my experience; physical pain, anxiety, numbness, sadness, receiving, etc... the things that make me uncomfortable. But once I identify it and accept that feeling into the mix with all the other feelings I feel more whole and grounded. The self includes. Resisting fragments.
And quietness. It doesn’t have to be contemplative or meditative. I could be putzing around the studio, tidying up. Or driving in silence. I need a good chunk of quiet time to be in tune with my self. Quietness can be rich soil to till, dig in, plant, and harvest. It’s becoming more endangered by our modern world, which makes it even more of a reason to engage with it.
Where does a new piece or body of work usually begin for you—with image, feeling, word, energy?
I follow my GASP! Whatever takes my breath away. Excites me. I think it’s miraculous that we all have involuntary physical and sometimes audible reactions to things we encounter. I think this is a really powerful moment because it’s a moment where we aren’t in control. I trust this. It’s my compass. Especially because my work is so much about visual intensity. Whatever it is in that moment always aligns with the questions I am asking myself in the work, or ideas I’m exploring. Sometimes I don’t even know what I am looking for. But I allow myself time and space to follow the bread crumbs until it builds into something, the paintings come together into a group and take shape. Sometimes this takes years.
Are there beauty rituals—either inherited or self-created—that ground you?
In the early years of my life I spent most of my time with my grandmother who was a painter and dress designer, and my mother who was a silversmith. They created their own worlds that were full to the brim of what they found beautiful. It’s not necessarily a beauty routine, but rather how important it is to have beauty in your routine. I learned from them how having beauty around you can inform how you feel about yourself, and how you go about your day. And they were both utterly beautiful in their own unique way. They were completely their own in the homes they created and the way they styled themselves. They never looked at anyone or anything and emulated or copied. They owned their own kind beauty. I try to carry this forward. Beauty is something only you can discover and define for yourself.
What daily practices support your creativity and clarity?
Everything in its place. I like to immerse myself deeply in my work, to spend all my time thinking, and making, and looking. Order allows my mind to stay focused, it give me space, and allows for freedom in my creative practice. And in-between bodies of work or shows, I give myself time to have a private practice, and make work that is the opposite of my paintings: messy, fast, unplanned.
How do you know when a piece is finished? Or when to pause?
Because I work little by little, each section at a time, when the paper is full I am done. You can’t paint over watercolor. Which means you have only one shot at it. You have to have confidence and also accept the mistakes. And it also means that when the paper is full, that’s it. It is what it is. And I put it away and don’t look at it until all the paintings for a show are done, sometimes a year later. Because I spend around six to seven weeks making a painting I am very ready to move on when it’s done. That prolonged time is time I spend learning and getting to know everything about the image. The painting becomes a record of this discovery and process. Then it becomes something totally different when it is complete, and it goes out into the world to live a whole new life.
Can you tell us about a recent piece or project that’s felt especially transformative?
“Fabric no.1”, 2025. I had been painting only orchids for four years. I have never had a serial practice, so it felt really new to repeat a subject over and over, 22 orchid paintings in total. During three months living in Copenhagen I was doing a lot of research at the Designmuseum Danmark library and then at the Getty Research Institute when I came home. I was taking a lot of photos of historical garments. This painting was the first one I did from those photos. It really broke things open for me, and for the work. It was so thrilling to paint. Every day I was painting I was more and more excited, like I was slowing sweeping away dirt from a buried treasure. It was such a risk, because orchids are what people expected. So it felt even more like the right time to make a move. While this painting moved me away from the orchids, it also expanded the ideas in those paintings. It’s one of my favorite paintings in my most recent show because it felt really powerful and bold to make this change. And I just think it’s a great painting.
Are there specific rituals that help you transition into creative space—or out of it?
Never wait to feel creative or inspired to get to work. If you show up regularly - at your best, at your worst - you build a practice that can support you, that you can lean on. Because I have a dedicated practice I can just show up to the studio and start working, no rituals needed.
I keep all other work out of the studio. No internet in there. I barely get a signal, so hardly any phone time. Once I close the door nothing else exists. It’s a sacred and fiercely protected space. I do all of the business side of being an artist at home. I also have a studio uniform (Jesse Kamm Cali Slims and Okuda Jacket, Maalof t-shirt, and Swedish clogs.) When I am getting dressed, I know I am getting ready to work.
What’s one small, meaningful practice you return to—no matter how busy life feels?
Anything that connects me to my body: swimming, jumping on the trampoline, dancing, giving a big hug to someone I love, a hot bath, walking, being barefoot outside, sex,sunshine on my skin, riding my bike, laughing until my cheeks hurt... And the whole time being grateful for having a body that I can enjoy all of these things and more.
I know you listen to audiobooks in the studio while you paint, can you recommend some favorites?
Bright Air Black by David Vann - if you want your world rocked by the wildness of Medea. Changed me to my core.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - if you want your heart broken open by a teenage boy in Appalachia. Unforgettable.
The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington - if you want a delightful story of aging embedded with alchemical messages and a surrealist flair.
The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante - if you want to deep dive into a complicated friendship between two women, from childhood to old age. You absolute must read all four novels, they get better and better. There's a reason the New York Times ranked it as the best book of the 21st century.
The Waves by Virginia Woolf - if you want to ride the ebb and flow of radically modern prose that tells the story of six friends from childhood to old age. Masterful and breathtaking.
Lee Miller: A Life by Carolyn Burke - if you want to be inspired by the incredible life of Miller, from her early life as a model for Vogue, to photo assistant and muse to Man Ray, to war photographer, and her life after as she coped with the fall out. A brilliant and formidable woman.
LAUREN'S EDIT
Alexis Smart First Aid Kit - I never leave home without this. Fatigue, travel, stress, headache, anxiety, long work days... it always brings me back to center. Tip: put a little in your water and sip it throughout the day.
Marie Veronique Multi-Retinol Night Emulsion - Kristina and Marie are my north stars when it comes to skincare and skin health. They are so knowledgeable. This product is like a time machine in a tube for my skin.
Activist Lip Balm - Has there ever been a chicer lip balm? Minimal and modern packaging, with a no fuss natural balm? Yes, please!
Everyday Oil - This smells like the California I love. Nourishing, expansive, and grounding. It makes me feel at home in my skin.
Maalouf - 100% organic unbleached cotton tees and undies. I live in these. I love the Light Tee and Low Brief to sleep in (wearing them now.) And the Slim Tee and Tank everyday to the studio. Absolute perfection.
Rowena Sartin XL Flower Hair Tie - Everything Kristin does is effortlessly cool. I like her oversized crushed silk scrunchies to keep my hair back while painting.
Bless Key Chain - House keys, studio keys, car key, mailbox key, and then that one mysterious key I can’t remember what it’s for. And it brilliantly doubles as a shopping bag handle.
Amiaclava tote - I’m all about things that check these boxes: comfort, craft, and versatility. I use this as my studio bag. And it has the perfect amount of pockets, which if you were wondering is six.
