Color Services

Kristen Cramer is a self-taught ceramicist who has an online store and a retail gift shop in Santa Ynez, California, called Global Eye Art Collective. There she sells her pottery along with handmade items by other artists including decor, vases, tablewear, kitchenware and jewelry. We were pleased when she joined us on Week #165 of the Photograph Your Love® Instagram Takeover by taking over our feed. During her week, she showed us around her studio, and told the story of how she got there. Her photos were captioned with fascinating and inspiring stories of perseverence. The moral of her story is that anyone can make their dreams happen with hard work, determination, and the spirit to make it fun. We enjoyed learning more about Kristen in a follow-up Q&A.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in the woods of western Pennsylvania.

When did you get into art and why?
I have made art all my life; much to my parents dismay. First painting and drawing were the most important thing to me, then in art school I discovered multimedia sculpture. After school traveling with my documentary photographer boyfriend (now husband) got me excited about photography. Today I mostly shoot my life with an iphone, since I’ve moved on to making pottery.

How would you describe your artistic style?
I like to think of myself as as artist that embodies the Japanese tradition of Wabi-sabi – being perfectly imperfect.

What kind of gear and technology do you use; and how does this influence or impact your work?
I love both ends of the technology spectrum: I use my hands in mud most of the time which is the most basic way to make anything, really. And I love using a typewriter for most notes, letters and lists that I make. But I also have professional camera gear, edit and process my images and build my websites from dreamweaver. And I have a touch screen, Bluetooth enabled L&L kiln which is epic and allows for one aspect of making pottery to be somewhat consistent, even at 2200 degrees.

What artist or photographer has had the biggest influence on you?
I love the reckless, eccentric spirit of George E. Ohr, the mad potter of Biloxi, and his quest to create what he believed was beautiful despite what current fashions and ideals were. He was so ahead of his time and so interesting, I would have loved to meet him.

What motivates or inspires you?
I have endless lists of things I want to make and do; things I wonder about and want to try. I am often out doing something different entirely, like looking at birds nests or running a beautiful trail, when a good idea or another rabbit hole of experimentation opens up right in front of me.

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Kristen Cramer has a degree in art from UCSB and an MBA from Pepperdine. Follow her on Instagram @globaleyeart. Visit her website at geartco.com and visit her retail store at 1095 Meadowvale Road, Santa Ynez, CA 93460 (Store Open: Wednesday to Sunday 12-5).

Each week, a guest photographer takes over our Instagram stream as we spotlight photographers that inspire us…and that we feel embrace the meaning behind our tagline, #PhotographYourLove. As a business that process and prints photos, we see this as part of our mission. Follow along with us on the Photograph your Love® Instagram Takeover @colorservices