Krista Townsend

I spend a lot of time wandering the meadows and woods near my home in central Virginia. It’s where my paintings begin. I gather ideas and impressions as I explore, imagining the lives of and among the trees and vines and grasses. When I return to the studio, I use photo references as compositional resources and reminders to begin, but very quickly memories and impressions take over. I often focus closely on the plants and ground, zooming in on nature so that she dominates my canvas and demonstrates her power to consume space and continue to prevail. But she also protects and nourishes, and I love thinking about the symbiotic relationship of the plants and animals. I also contemplate my own relationship with and dependence on nature. It's a beautiful interconnected web that I try to represent on my canvas. My hope is that my work inspires a similar curiosity and personal response in my viewer to appreciate the magic and mystery of nature and act on our collective stewardship to protect her.

Apprenticeship with Edward J. Reed, Alexandria, VA, 2006-2007
Master of Arts, Medical and Biological Illustration, The Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, 1996 -1998
The Schuler School of Fine Arts (an atelier), Baltimore, MD, 1994-1996
Bachelor of Arts, The School of Art and Architecture, The Pennsylvania State
University, 1990-1994

Point of View, Connaughton Gallery, UVA McIntire School of Commerce, Charlottesville, VA, March 2026
Understory, Phaeton Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, 2025
Big Wonder, Glavé Kocen, Richmond, VA, 2022
Second Nature, Phaeton Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, 2022
Immersion, Glavé Kocen Gallery, Richmond, VA, 2018
The Virginia Landscape, The National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 2018
New Works, Glavé Kocen Gallery, Richmond, VA, 2016
Bridges, New City Arts Initiative, WVTF and Radio IQ Studio Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, 2016
DUET: Landscapes Real and Imagined with J.M. Henry, Yellow Cardinal Gallery, Charlottesville,
VA, 2015