our art: KRISTEN SOBLE
—
e
l
b
o
S
Kristen
n
O
s
e
z
a
l
B
e
An artist with deep
Inner Fir
BY MEL W RHODES
Weatherford roots cuts a personal
path through the jungle of commercial
art while laying down some fun-time colors
DECEMBER 2016
PA R K E R C O U N T Y T O D AY
A
s long as she can remember,
art has been part of her life,
a passion. Kristen Soble’s parents
noticed early on that she had a
knack for it and that it made her,
well, happy. So, her toys became
easels and paints and brushes — art
supplies to nurture the young artist’s
inner-fire.
Though she has worked in
various mediums, for the past halfdozen years’ watercolors have been
her forte. But she’s not your typical
watercolorist.
“I don’t use a lot of wet-on-wet
techniques,” she said. “I usually
keep my paper very dry. I like to
experiment a lot with ink, as well;
so it’s ink then I go over it with
watercolors.”
The result is very smooth, fluid
yet structured art that pleases the eye
with faded watery colors laid down
on a skeleton of ink.
“I’m just not huge into the
‘how we were taught’ kind of water
coloring,” she added.
She calls her work “whimsical
illustration.” In her world of color
there are blue whales crowned with
rainbows and pink octopuses, a
mermaid with flowing lavender hair
matching a treasure chest nestled on
the ocean floor, the allure of gold
shimmering from its cracked lid as a
strand of pearls slips out. You’ll also
find a fanciful rocket ship blasting
off for a mellow yellow Swiss cheese
30
Gator