We were lucky to catch up with Kersteen A Anderson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kersteen, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
As a teen, I sewed and made all my clothes. I was into needlecraft then and did elaborate embroidery on peasant and cowboy shirts for myself and sometimes a boyfriend! An office worker where my Dad worked saw my work and commissioned an embroidered shirt from me! Hand-sewn and hand stitched with custom designs I came up with……I stressed hard about what to charge her. Ultimately I charged $75.00. It was a fortune to me then….
Kersteen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My creative life began as a kid; I made things, drew pictures constantly, and eventually learned to craft and sew from my parents, who were both European-trained as tailors. I landed in art school at CSULB and graduated BFA in Textile and Surface Design. It’s called Fiber now, I think. After a very long and circuitous career loop through sales, home furnishing manufacturing, scenic art for theme park design, and finally my own contract/decorative painting company; (I spent 20 years there), and participating in some exceptional creative projects; I finally came home to my fine art roots after scaling my company back about three and a half years ago.
Because of my background, I’m currently obsessed with the materiality and structure of construction materials. The same ones used daily in the building of a home or commercial building. The stuff we rely on to surround us with sanctuary, safety, and familiarity but never see or touch. So, the forgotten……… The many lives that are responsible for all this are also forgotten when it’s time for the recipient to move in and claim it as their own. I elevate the material as well as the souls who craft these materials, with all their expertise and experience into the final product.
My Artist Statement: Most people never see or touch the material I choose to make my work.
I challenge common construction materials to become vulnerable and transform into something for which they were never intended.
Lath wire, concrete, joint compound, drywall, glass, and roofing paper all find their way into my sculpture.
I add color with aerosol, chemical patination, house paint, or heat.
Accentuating and introducing patterns, lines, and forms through digital photography and print.
The push and distortion of standard forms, scale, and the rules of fabrication to reveal emotion, human energy
…….and to begin a conversation
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
In the earlier days, I was a single divorced parent with 2 small children. Navigating the hectic scenic painters schedule (I worked in Burbank and lived in Manhattan Beach) to eventually moving to the Coachella Valley and starting a subcontracting business was a challenge. Not wanting to sound cliche; but entering the very male construction world as a woman with no experience in that field was no joke, either. Eventually, I paved my path, developed an excellent reputation, and as with all things, proved my worth by delivering excellent results and dependability. I needed to reinvent myself to be able to integrate into that world from the entertainment world and make a living. Little did I know that years later it would inform my art practice.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
For me its to make beautiful, thought-provoking art. Period.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kandersandersonfineart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.andersanderson/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kersteen.anders
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kersteen-anderson-7783998/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0c7gBMiYg7MqsmYK-o55qQ
Image Credits
(photo of me) Barbara Boissevain