Artist Spotlight: Kristina Tardelli

Share a little bit about yourself and what you create.
My name is Kristina Tardelli, I am 17 years old. I go to North Park Collegiate and I am in grade 12. I live in the North End of Brantford with my mother and my brother. I used to live in Hamilton, but I moved in grade 5 and I have lived here for the past 6 years. I have loved art ever since I can remember. When I was young I was always drawing and colouring. It was my favourite thing to do. All throughout elementary school visual art has always been my favourite and my best subject. When I got to high school, I realized that painting was my true passion. I have taken some kind of art course every year since grade 9 to improve my skills and become the best artist I can be.

What is your creative process like and what inspires it?
I am inspired by everything around me. I don’t really have one specific type of art that I produce. I’ve painted nature scenes, animals, the human figure, abstract, and much more. I enjoy challenging myself and attempting to create something I’ve never done before. My workspace at home is in my basement, it is a small space with a table and all my art supplies. My creative process is going on the internet and reading magazines to find inspiration. I also listen to music while doing this because music is a big part of my life and inspires me a lot.

What has been your favourite creative moment?
My favourite creative moment was when I painted a mural on my school wall for a project for my painting class. It was a painting of a girl with long flowing hair; I chose a monochromatic colour scheme. I painted it all different shades and tints of blue. I also painted her hair very thick to achieve a bumpy texture to make the hair look more life-like. I am very proud of it and this project made me realize I love to paint murals.

What else do you enjoy doing with your time?
In my spare time I enjoy spending time outside when it’s nice out, I like going to the beach, biking, going on walks, and of course, drawing and painting. I also enjoy listening to music, and playing the violin. I have played the violin for 10 years and enjoy playing it every day.

Does creativity run into your family? If so, who is creative and what do they do?
Yes, my aunt on my mother’s side works with a makeup company and wants to start her own cosmetics business. My sister, Andrea, also is really into makeup. My sister is enrolled in Humber College, in Toronto, to be a cosmetician because she loves doing people’s makeup and is really good at it. She is also really into music and has a very unique sense of style.

How can we learn more about your work?
To learn more about my work you can come to my school, North Park Collegiate, and look at my work. I have a variety of paintings here, including a mural on the wall that I painted. You could also look at my Instagram account, because I post a lot of my drawings/paintings on it to get opinions from other artists around the world. My account name is kristinat619 if you would like to check it out.

Where would you like your art to take you?
I would like to go on to college to learn more about painting, drawing, and art history. I would love to have a job in the art field one day. I really enjoy learning about art history so I would love to work in an art museum one day possibly, or even be an art teacher. Art is my passion and teaching younger kids how to use their imagination would be a great career.

How long have you lived in Brantford?
I have lived in Brantford for 6 years. I moved here from Hamilton when I was in grade 5 and have lived here ever since.

What is your favourite restaurant in town?
My favourite restaurant in town in Gus n’ Guido’s. It is a Greek and Italian restaurant and has amazing food. I am half Greek and half Italian so I’m familiar with the dishes and I am really impressed with the service.

What local spaces or landmarks do you find inspiring?
I find the Grand River to be really inspiring. I’ve always wanted to go down there and paint the landscape one day. I just think it is beautiful, especially in the summer time.

What change would you like to see in Brantford?
I would like to see Brantford develop and change for the better. Brantford is very small and there is not much to do, but I feel like if we had more exciting things happening in Brantford more people would move here and Brantford would get the reputation it deserves.