Thoughts on Transitions: Catching up with Krista Litz
I can’t believe it has been a year since my last post for Milspofan and so much has changed in that year!
Since we last spoke, my family wrapped up our post in Asunción, Paraguay and has moved back to the United States to Elizabethtown, KY just outside of Fort Knox.
The three years I spent working in Paraguay with the diplomatic community was my most successful period as an artist. I created over 150 paintings and sold nearly all of them to my community in Paraguay and abroad. To say it was humbling and moving would be and understatement. It advanced my professionalism and artistic confidence forward by ten years.
While those three years were incredibly successful, I would love to talk about transitions as artists and small business owners. I’ve realized that as a military spouse, the journey of an artist becomes a canvas in itself, painted with the colors of change, resilience and adaptability. Moving from one duty station to another brings not only a change in surroundings but also a shift in studio space, access to materials and artistic routine.
We have now been in the United States five months and, for four of them, I did not have access to my materials as they were on a slow boat back to the states. This put a pause on work, sales and my confidence. I want to be honest about how heavy a transition can be and feel because if you are in the trenches of it or about to embark on it, I want you to know that you will find your groove again. It has taken me five months and I am still rebuilding, but I am painting again. I am actively working to rebuild my artistic community and client base here stateside.
The nomadic lifestyle of military families often means bidding farewell to familiar landscapes and embracing new environments. I have new found inspiration in my new studio space and surroundings. I am still centering my work around large scale floral paintings but I feel a big shift coming. For an artist, each location is an opportunity to discover fresh inspiration and perspectives. While my oil paints and easel were in a crate traveling the world, I experimented with ink and watercolor. I’m working towards combining what I have learned during the transition time into my future paintings here in Kentucky. The challenge lies in turning the temporary into extraordinary. I am once again starting over, having shifted homes, community and routines. I know this will only push me and my work forward
Each duty station becomes a chapter in my visual narrative, capturing the essence of different cultures, landscapes and emotions. My art is my own testament to the diversity and richness of the military experience. In the end the canvas of a military spouse artist tells a a story of adaptability, resilience and the beauty found in life’s transitory nature. With each stroke of the brush and every shift in surroundings, we not only create art but lives, turning the challenges of military life into masterpieces of strength and creativity.
Find Krista online at:
Instagram: @kclstudio