Kris Manzanares creates whimsical paintings ranging from portrait’s to still life’s with vibrancy and skill.

She has a strong voice and distinct style that encompasses energy, playfulness and curiosity that she conveys through oil paint and a refined color palette. Her artwork is largely based off of digital photographs from her large collection that she then utilizes to create  enchanting imagery with. “Many of my paintings would not be what they are without the instantaneous nature of the photograph, and its presence deserves to be acknowledged,” states Manzanares. The artist is able to fuse the photographs with the imagined story to create her own version of history in each painting.

Manzanares was formally trained in the arts receiving her Bachelors of Arts in Graphic Design from the University of Maryland going on to doing her Graduate studies in Sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. Manzanares was also commissioned to create stunning mixed media sculptures for Scottsdale Public Art, which was exhibited at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library utilizing repurposed materials. She has been awarded the prestigious Eric Fischl Award, in addition to exhibiting her work at a variety of galleries across the valley including the Paul Scott Gallery, {9} The Gallery, and Mesa Arts Center. Her artwork has been featured in numerous publications both online and in print including American Art Collector, Arizona Republic, Phoenix New Times,  just to name a few.

Most recently she exhibited a beautiful selection of her paintings and sculpture in Shade Gallery at the monOrchid in “What Happens in Between”. This exhibition was carefully curated and well received by the community and highly covered in the media. That exhibition examined “what happens in the wild moments glinting between the familiar framework of our daily routine,” said Manzanares. Her artwork transport you to another time and place capturing those fleeting moments that the artist says “it’s where fantasies rise unbidden from the depths, where ideas and solutions can suddenly appear, belched forth from some lively hidden inner working”.

For more information about artist Kris Manzanares visit her online at http://www.krismanzanares.com. *Images are courtesy and copyright of the artist Kris Manzanares and Nicole Royse.