Kristi Warren’s paintings are best described as abstract realism. She works with oil, watercolor, and gouache, focusing on color and composition in her work. Leaves and florals are a constant in her pieces and she refers to them as metaphors for beauty and growth. After studying drawing and photography at California College of the Arts in Oakland, Kristi spent two years at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena where she majored in Illustration. Shortly after receiving her BS Degree in Graphic Design from Sacramento State University, Kristi switched her attention from print and design back to painting.

When speaking of how she works Kristi says, “I like to take my own reference photos whenever possible and I sometimes 'collage' several images together to come up with a design I like. I pencil in my concept before adding paint but occasionally with oils I jump right in with a brush. In most cases I follow my original drawing fairly closely but there are times I will deviate from the image in front of me and go where the painting is taking me. Sometimes this gets me into trouble and other times it's when the magic happens and that's part of the joy."

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Kristi’s work can be seen in gallery shows around the Sacramento, California region and by appointment.