THE  WREN  COLLECTION

Hi! I’m Kristy (also known as Wren - my middle name). I was raised mostly in Oregon by super supportive parents, one of whom was a teacher and gave me loads of opportunities to (ah-em) explore (think many many messes in the house) my artistic style. I went to Wesmont college in Santa Barbara, CA graduating with a BA in art in 2004 and married a man who shared my love for graphic design and various other art forms. We had two of our three kids soon after, moved to Kauai in 2006 and I have been working ever since as an artist in different capacities.

 

When my oldest two were very small, I created a line of children’s apparel which is when "the Wren Collection" was originally born. I drew by day, vectorized artwork during naps and my hubby (who is a super talented screen printer) would print the garments. When our keiki were a tad older, I helped launch and co-run a children’s art studio here on the island which landed under the umbrella of a non-profit called KUGA (Kauai Underground Artists). This began with longing for my own keiki to have the opportunity to explore every possible art medium. Finding nothing of the sort on-island, my friend and I dove in head-first creating what we envisioned. I was given the opportunity to create loads of ads (see @kuga_visual_arts), designs, posters, flyers etc etc. while working with this non-profit which simply served to further hone my graphic design skills. 

 

The more recent years have included branding and design for a number of other clients both on island and mainland as well as for a company I co-run called “Hawaii Says Hi” located within Warehouse3540. I've designed apparel, totes and tea towels plus packaging and stickers for this biz plus a myriad of designs for the Warehouse. Needless to say, I am ambitious and LOVE designing. I see art mostly in the form of lines when I close my eyes because I saturate my imagination with colors, lines and all the possibilities of combining the two. I don’t shy away from difficult projects but am also clear on knowing my lane and what I can and cannot do. I give my absolute best and notice the tiniest details in what makes a design work (or not) and see the blank space surrounding the design as vital as the design itself.

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I mainly work in a program called Illustrator allowing you to get high-resolution (vector) artwork that can be enlarged or shrunk without detriment to image quality. My jam is line art and I have a major love for typography and hand-lettering (yes, there actually is a difference). I also love learning what you/your business is about then bringing to visual life what you share in words. Take some time to scroll through my portfolio and you will get a sense of what I am capable of and see the collection of art I have designed over many years as a graphic designer. Please contact me if you have questions or think we might be a good fit for branding or design. Tons of Aloha!!