We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kristal Hoeh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kristal below.

Kristal, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was in high school, I enjoyed all my classes and did well in them. I felt I could have gone into any field and done well. However, I had a lot of adults in my life who seemed miserable. They seemed to just go to work to make money. I wanted balance. I knew that money could not buy happiness. I reflected on when I was most energized and least anxious and it was when I was doing art. Creating art seemed like it could be an endless fulfilling pursuit in life. That is when I decided to go into the visual arts.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My jam is being out in nature. My art highlights the beauty of the world around me. I tend to live in either desert or tropical areas such as Florida, Hawaii, Utah, and Arizona. Currently I am living in Denver, Colorado. The difference in landscape is striking! The challenge for me is to replicate the textures of nature in watercolor or color pencil. I work loose and like to put detail in the focal point of my work.

I love creating work “en plein air”. I participate annually in the Town of Superior Plein Air Festival each September. Here in Colorado, the changing colors are majestic against the Rocky Mountains. This area is recovering from the devastating Marshall Fire last year that is the most destructive fire in Colorado history. Festival goers are able to see artists at work and purchase their works. Also, the youth mentor program pairs local youth with an artist to paint along side them and receive guidance on their own artistic work.

I am an active member of the Littleton Artist Guild. This is an organization of around 70 artists that run a gallery that holds rotating shows. It is housed in a historic train depot from the Santa Fe Railroad from 1888. It is located in downtown Littleton, Colorado. As a member, I help run the gallery one day each month to welcome visitors and often participate in juried shows.

Finally, I am half-way through the Masters of Art Education program at University of Florida. It is a hybrid program that allows me to work remotely in Denver during the school year and attend summer courses on-campus during the summer. Currently, I am creating an art history curriculum centered on art controversies to encourage critical thinking among students.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Though I have been teaching art for 19 years, it is only in the last 5 years that I have identified as an artist. Part of it has been that I have been in survival mode for decades.

Soon after my 12th birthday, my family moved across the country, from Utah to Florida, and my family imploded. My mom succumbed to schizophrenia, divorced my dad, and my dad sunk deeper into a dark hole with 5 kids to take care of. We had a roof over our head, but emotionally we were dying inside. We couldn’t talk about the loss of our mother, the loss of extended family from the move, or the loss of feeling like a family. Showing weakness was invitation for ridicule from each other.

I did well in school. I was good at it. I got praise and attention, that felt a lot like love and acceptance. When it came time to graduate high school, I was conflicted on whether to stay with my family to help my dad take care of the house and little sister, or go to college. I had gotten a job that year to have money to buy clothes and essentials I felt my dad couldn’t afford. One night I was run down by a man with a knife on my walk home from work who tried to constrain me in a wooded area. I was able to escape and run to a nearby house to call the police. The police came and drove me home. I was afraid I was in trouble and knew I was adding to my dad’s grief. In the shuffle of me getting away from my attacker, I had fallen and twisted my ankle. The next day, unable to walk, I was sent to school with a cane. My carpool had a sense that things were not right with me and drove me home. I was grateful that someone noticed things were not right and spoke up. I spent the day after being a victim of aggravated assault as 17 year old, at home, alone.

A few weeks after I was sitting in my AP Psych class and an overwhelming sense of anger starting boiling up. I came to the realization that nobody really cared for my welfare. The adults in life would disagree with that, but if I needed help or attention that inconvenienced them, they made me feel like I had done something wrong and was to blame. If I didn’t change something, this pattern of being neglect would continue. I decided then that I was going to get out of the house as soon as possible and going to college was my ticket out. I had over a 4.0, a list of extracurricular activities, and even some scholarships. I applied to one college and got accepted.

Years later my younger sibling would tell me that she felt that I had abandoned her and that it took years for her to realize that I wasn’t her mom. Fortunately, now I have a good relationship with most of siblings and can now speak about that time in our lives. My relationship with my parents continues to be strained.

Six years after leaving home and graduating with a degree in Art Education, I got married and started having children. When my youngest entered kindergarten, I started going to a local Art n’ Sip events where I would canvas paint a prepared subject while chomping on appetizers. It was the highlight of my week. Soon the instructor was asking me to teach some of the classes, and I got into painting regularly. I found out there was a local art council and became involved and the rest is history! Currently I teach art history online, am a member of the local artist guild, and I am getting my master’s degree in art education.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I have learned that it is never too late to accomplish your life’s goals.

Once I decided that I was determined to go into the field of art in college, I realized that I didn’t have the financial means to afford art supplies or to survive as a “starving artist”. Going into the field of teaching art assured that I would be able to have a steady job and have the opportunity to make art. Unfortunately, I found out that finding time to make personal art after teaching all day in public school is difficult. Needing the money, I prioritized being professionally on-point for my students and colleagues, coming home exhausted.

Through the years, I have found more balance between teaching, family, and personal care. Making art is part of my personal care. While I still struggle with making time to make art, I see it as important and no longer wait for permission to take time to make it. I continue to work to create a unified body of work and pursue opportunities to exhibit my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kristalmelodyart.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristalmelodyhoeh
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kristal-hoeh-a1a62b96