Kristin McDonald

Kristin McDonald was born and raised in Prescott, Arizona. Her mother was a teacher and her father a librarian and syndicated illustrator. Books and fantasy were loved greatly in her household. As a child, Kristin grew up watching her father bring drawings to life, making imagination become reality.

As a young adult, she set out to find a career that was both outside a cubical and creative at the same time. After high school she worked as a paint prep in an auto body shop before finding a promising job in a fine art foundry. She discovered she had a talent with patina work—this has been her trade since 2005.

A patina artist colors metals by applying chemicals and heat with the original artist’s vision in mind. “I work with the sculptors to find just the right colors and patterns to make their pieces pop. I feel that applying patina to bronze brings life to a sculpture, this is the daily creative outlet that I was looking for. I feel very fortunate to work with very talented and respected artists every day. Some days I work with their work, and others I work on mine. It’s wonderful.”

Kristin’s own artwork and sculpture stretches far beyond the Southwest that she loves. Her work introduces the viewer to people and things found in dreams and the unknown. “I’m driven to bring imagination to life as I saw my father do when I was a child. I enjoy my job, my art, and a variety of challenges and opportunities in an art driven life.”