Hailing from Benalla, multi-medium artist Cristen Brunner's artistic journey began at the age where she could hold a pencil.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
Forever drawn to creating portrait-styled pieces, she spent her teens drawing for family and friends before evolving into a tattooist in her 20s.
However, when she reached her 30s, her career truly began to take shape.
“It was at this time I felt I could absolutely call myself a professional portrait artist across many different mediums,” she said.
“The art of realism is definitely my calling.”
Co-owning a tattoo studio, Uncut Diamond, in Shepparton with her sister, Cristen now focuses on creating meaningful portrait tattoos, immortalising loved ones on her clients’ skin.
The interactive nature of tattooing contrasts with the solitude of drawing and painting, offering a fulfilling balance in her creative process.
“It’s an interesting way to create a piece, directly onto someone’s body, to be eternalised within their skin of a loved one they will now carry with them for the rest of their life,” Cristen said.
“It’s the meaning behind the pieces that really draws me to the work. Sometimes not as obvious to the outside viewer, but during the process, so many stories and insights into people’s lives are shared.
“Seeing the impact my art can have on people is the most rewarding part of what I do.”
The challenge of using different mediums keeps things interesting for Cristen, and she finds she learns a lot by switching from one to another.
This dynamic approach fuels her creativity and deepens her understanding of her craft.
13°C