The Wonderful, Whimsical Paintings of Lexis Krieg- THP Class Instructor

Watercolor and ink drawing is an exciting combination to explore color, shape and pattern. Meet Lexis Krieg- a whimsical painter often combining these two mediums. We're lucky to have Lexis as one of our creative instructors at Two Hands Paperie. Get to know Lexis in this interview.

What is your first memory engaging with or feeling connected to art/making things? A first memory does not exist, I only know that I have created my entire life. I come from a family of creators and my mom was always guiding us in a project at home. As a mother myself, I now understand those projects were just as much for me as they were for her. She needed to create, even if it was with kid supplies. That is how I feel today. I need to create. 

Not everyone is a teacher. What motivates you to teach classes at Two Hands Paperie? I have worked with collage, acrylic paint, mixed media and most recently watercolor. This is the medium that I have found a creative process that I feel I can share. I deeply believe that we are all creative and I want to share an approachable, fun way to be creative without pressure or stress for it to be a certain way.

Finish this sentence: "I am most artistically satisfied when it feels like I’m not trying and the art just flows out without over thinking the experience.

Do you ever experience creative block? What do you do? For me, creative block is experienced in the “what do I paint?” question when I sit down to create. It helps to have some go-to exercises to turn to when this feeling hits, like painting a page with circles or doodling over a painting. Sometimes I turn up the music and force myself to make bad art and do it anyway. I also try to keep pieces of my own work up in my studio for inspiration to help keep the momentum going. And finally, Pinterest is a guilty pleasure to scan for shapes and compositions that inspire me.

What are you besides an artist? I am a freelance designer and stay at home mama to 2 little girls. I am a problem solver and maker of things. I am a cook, a gardener, biker, hiker, camper and overall nature lover. I am a highly sensitive introvert who is patient, kind, brave, strong and often anxious.

See more of Lexis' work on her website and on instagram @lexisworks.

Lexis Krieg is the artist, illustrator, and designer behind Lexisworks, a business she started in 2008 as an outlet for her personal creativity. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t making something. She took every art class in high school, then left to study art at Minnesota State University Moorhead. While there Lexis fell in love with graphic design and, as she explains, decided to leave the “real art" to “artists.” She worked as a graphic designer for a while but, after being laid off twice, she ended up growing her freelance business to satisfy her creativity and her urge to create with her own hands.

Her background in graphic design shines through the art she creates now: custom murals, surface patterns, illustrations, hand lettering, and mixed media paintings. No surprise that her studio is stuffed with vintage papers, tubes of paint, containers full of brushes and pens, old sketchbooks, glue, and a collection of materials for her daughters to create with. She’s decided she is an artist after all, and enjoys teaching workshops as a way to help others discover their own creative talents.

When people ask Lexis where she’s from she takes a deep breath and recites: “Alaska, Oregon, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and now Colorado.” (Somewhere in there she managed to live in England for a while.) Colorful Colorado became her home almost 15 years ago, and she’s been inspired by the Rocky Mountains ever since. Lexis takes any opportunity she can to get out and explore the Colorado landscape with her husband Bear, their two daughters, and their dog, Jackson.