Meet Kersteen Anderson | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kersteen Anderson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kersteen, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I have never been afraid to take risks. They have appeared as growth choices in many forms throughout my life, as a child and as an adult…..

As a child, I recall receiving a paint-by-number kit for Christmas and painting every single provided image. I then “risked” going door to door in my neighborhood to sell them. I remember having to think of how to present, sell and ask for money.
As my life unfolded through the stages of young adulthood and then into adulthood, I took risks on things that scared me, but `that I felt compelled to do. During my career as a painting contractor, I bid on an immense project that was far above anything I’d ever done. I juggled financial figures that were foreign to me at the time, but I HAD to do it. Pushing myself through these “risks” has cultivated a confidence and personal track record of fearlessness. Currently, I am moving into a much larger studio space, which is a leap that will propel me higher into my art practice and creative process. Am I jittery about it? Sure!! But perhaps I am more jittery about the art I will produce in such a space. That; I welcome.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Currently, I am exploring the materials and precepts of building and construction. Having had a contracting business for 20 years I have a fondness for lath wire, lumber, concrete, glass, and all of the other very mundane materials we never think about when it comes to a very intimate part of our lives. Home. Moving naturally from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional work recently has both excited, surprised, and scared me all at once.

Being a woman contractor comes with its own set of rewards and challenges and I aim to weave some of this narrative into my work along with elevating the materials as beautiful in their own right. It wasn’t always easy, but I learned that just doing the work and doing it well, consistently, garnered the eventual respect, admiration and acceptance I got from “the guys”. I take all of that into my art practice…….thanks guys.

I guess, the best thing to know about me, my story, my art is that you can always count on me to delight you with inherent beauty where you least expect to find it…….

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a nature gal so we would (weather permitting) take many hikes, some local here in the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountain area, and some a little further out. One day we’d take a very bumpy road (not too bad) up to Santa Rosa Mountain where I know a tremendous view spot and picnic in the pines overlooking the entire Coachella Valley. Another day we would take the Palm Springs Tram all the up to the mountain station and then hike the remainder to the Peak. Again with gourmet picnic included. Then you’d probably have to rest up, so a visit to the Palm Springs Museum followed by lunch at Persimmon Bistro would be in order. Maybe we’d crash the pool at the Ace Hotel or Saguaro for a day followed by Dinner at Copley’s or Spencer’s. Kitchen Workshop is awesome too. We’d have to visit my building where myself and 14 other artists have studios for a real time art experience.

And, if there was time (and energy!) left; we’d gather a group of my fellow artists and drive out to Pappy and Harriets in Yucca Valley for live music, drinks and camaraderie on a warm desert evening. Call me when you’re ready!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
In my early years, my Parents for providing, but not indulging. That fostered resourcefulness.

The toughness of my CSULB college art professors. That fostered excellence.

Susan Seamans Interior Design for recognizing my creativity and opening the doors to fostering a creative practice as an artist.

My “brothers” in the construction trades for recognizing my company and me as serious contributors to the projects we collaborated on. That fostered a thick skin.

Core Leadership Group and Susan Mayginnis for shining a beacon for me to find my way back to an art practice that was mature and rich with narrative. That fostered self-recognition and acknowledgment.

And finally, my husband who champions me at every turn. Even when I don’t. That fosters love.

Image Credits:
Margot Duane Photography

Website: www.kandersandersonfineart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.andersanderson/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kersteen-anderson-7783998/

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