About
Contact me
kirstenlofgren (at) gmail.com
Bio
Kirsten Lofgren is an artist living in Austin, TX. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, she spent her childhood outside, hiking in the forests, exploring the caves, and swimming in the creeks around her home. She developed a deep relationship with the land and all the beauty and complexity it holds. She moved west to explore the deserts and mountains of Utah where she studied painting and photography and earned her BFA in Studio Art in 2015. Her work investigates the memories and emotions that places we are connected to contain. Using repeating geometric patterns and altered colors alongside landscape elements, drawn from sketches and photographs, she creates new worlds using a visual language that communicates feelings of loss, hope, and awe. She has exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally, participating in shows at the Woodbury Art Museum, the Bemis Arts Building, and the Texas Women’s Museum among others.
Artist Statement
I am a contemporary painter whose work is deeply rooted in my personal journey, exploring themes of identity, memory, and the passage of time. My paintings capture the essence of moments in places and the emotions they evoke, drawing inspiration from the landscapes of my surroundings as well as my imagination and retrospection. As a child, I always turned to nature for comfort. The woods and the creek outside of my Tennessee mountain home were my first canvas and my refuge. I am still drawn outside to hike, draw, and marvel at the world around me.
I am inspired by learning about the geologic history of the places I visit. I use the sketches made while I am exploring outdoors to inform the landscape elements I feature in my paintings. My work is abstract and vibrant, often featuring bold colors and dynamic, flowing shapes. I use intricate, swirling patterns that suggest the movement of water or the play of light across a desert. With strong geometric shapes, I create an architectural sense of structure in my surreal landscapes.
Art has the power to heal and to inspire; to transport us to new worlds, and to help us make sense of our own. Through my exploration of the natural world and my personal history, I hope to create works that resonate with viewers on a deep and personal level.
CV
Selected Exhibitions
2022
Kirsten Lofgren – YMCA Town Lake, Austin, TX
2021
Austin Studio Tour – ArtUs Co, Austin, TX
2020
Finding Necessities – ICOSA Collective, Austin, TX, Curated by Sidney Mori
A Brief Interruption – Contracommon, Bee Cave, TX, Curated by Taylor Bailey
Aubree Dale and Kirsten Lofgren – AG&M, Austin, TX
2019
East Austin Studio Tour – Mosaic Sound Collective, Austin, TX
Kirsten Lofgren – Colorida Art Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal (Solo Exhibition)
Velvet Ropes – Martha’s Contemporary, Austin, TX
Women of WEST Go East – Cloud Tree Studios, Austin, TX, Curated by Laura Johnson
West Austin Studio Tour – Kirsten Lofgren Studio, Austin, TX
Texas Vignette – Dallas Women’s Museum, Austin, TX, Curated by Leslie Moody Castro
Desiccated – REVELRY, Austin, TX (Solo Exhibition)
2018
Kirsten Lofgren – Desert Door, Driftwood, TX (Solo Exhibition)
2017
2017 Texas Artists Exhibition – Beeville Art Museum, Beeville, TX
You Are Here – Wild Basin Creative Research Center, Austin, TX, Curated by Renée Cornue
Far Country – 120Art, Taylor, TX
2016
Topology Artists – Topology, Austin, TX
2015
Nothing Collapses – Gallery 303, Provo, UT (Solo Exhibition)
Art of Our Century – Woodbury Art Museum, Orem, UT
Horror Show: Fear and the Abject – Gallery Gallery, Provo, UT, Curated by Maddison Colvin
2014
Running Parallel – Gallery 303, Provo, UT
Visiting Student Show – The WYE, Berlin, Germany
Bemis Arts Spring Show – Bemis Arts Building, Seattle, WA
Behind Nature – Harris Fine Art Center, Provo, UT (Solo Exhibition)
Curation
2022
Deeper Roots Than Reason – Contracommon, Bee Cave, TX
Prismatic x ArtUs Co – ArtUs Co, Austin, TX
2019
Pump Project Alumni Show – Mosaic Sound Collective, Austin, TX
2015
Get It Together – Gallery Gallery, Provo, UT
Publications
July 2022 – The Line-up: Nine exhibitions to see you through the summer, Sightlines
November 2020 – Top Five: November 12, 2020, Glasstire
April 2015 – Consumption: Kirsten Hixson, TAGTAGTAG (Formerly Lintroller), by Dilys Ng
Education
2015
BFA in Studio Art and Art Education, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Professional Experience
2020 – 2023 Interaction Designer, frog design
2016 – 2019 Pump Project Member, Pump Project
2017 – 2018 Arts Instructor, Dougherty Art Center