Kristin Rae Cronic
b. 1988 | Jacksonville, Florida | (904)655-3320 | kristincronicfineart@gmail.com
Statement
I create large scale gestural paintings of nature forms. The live oaks of my birthplace, uprooted tree carcasses, and rock formations carry emotional weight at the heart of my work. I begin with observation but ultimately excavate from these static forms the emotional underpinnings of existence I often want to hide from, such as anguish, uncertainty, intrigue, that effervescent bubbling of joy. Nature’s disregard for these states returns them to just another aspect of being alive.
My process layers contour drawing, fluid acrylic washes, and intuitive oil markmaking. Painting is a medium that allows me to catch the evidence of full body movement, as if it’s catching a moment. The scale of my work demands spatial commitment, which acts as a declaration of physical and emotional space, something I often resist occupying outside the studio.
I approach color with a restrained palette and in the making, shake it off balance with unexpected hues. Compositions push toward extreme perspective, creating confrontational angles with the forms. Personally specific titles open the interpretations into more universal themes.
My practice references the female abstract expressionists of the 1940’s, in particular Joan Mitchell, Helen Frankenthaler, and Elaine de Kooning. These women liberated the form into emotion and color. Studying their work opened my observational painting to emphasize playfulness and honesty. Jenny Saville’s maternal figures hold unrelenting candidness and take up space. When I see trees, I often see mothers. Cecily Brown’s emotional interior spaces changed the way I think about a scene surrounding the viewer.
I tend to hide from the parts of myself that are hardest to hold. I paint in order to stand in the spectrum of those things without having to resolve them.
Biography
Born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, Kristin began her artistic journey at night while serving as an officer in the United States Navy. While experiencing the confinement of living on a ship at sea months at a time, Kristin yearned for a feeling of freedom, space, and rootedness. In response, she turned to plants and earth forms as a primary source of inspiration. Their wild indifference was a boon to her personal self discovery within an institution that demanded the sublimation of the self to the great whole.
She received her MFA in Visual Art from Jacksonville University in 2022 and currently lives and works in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and three children. She teaches at Jacksonville University as a Drawing Professor. She is represented by Stellers Gallery (Jacksonville) .
Recent solo exhibitions include the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, the United States Pentagon, and the United States Naval Academy Museum. Recent group shows include Pocket Utopia in NY, NY, the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, and Number Inc’s 2024 “Art of the South” group exhibition at Stoveworks Gallery in Chattanooga, TN. She was a recipient of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville Individual Artist Grant Recipient for the 2024-2025 cycle. And in November, 2025, she illustrated the Google Doodle for Veterans Day.
Study:
MFA in Visual Art, Jacksonville University, 2022
BS in Naval Architecture, United States Naval Academy, 2011
Exhibitions, Awards, and Grants:
2026
Curated into U.S. Embassy in Brussels, Belgium. Art in Embassies, initally acquired in 2023. View details.
“A Multi-Scalar Habitat” (Group Exhibition). Curated and arranged by Austin Thomas of Pocket Utopia. Peep Space Gallery, Tarrytown, NY. February-April 2026. View press release.
“skin\bones” (Solo Exhibition). Touche Gallery. January 2026. Jacksonville, Florida.
Faculty Biennial Exhibition (Group Exhibition). Alexander Brest Gallery at Jacksonville University. November 2025- January 2026. Jacksonville, Florida.
Permanent Collection, Baptist Healthplace Silverleaf. Saint Johns, FL. 2026.
Permanent Collection, Baptist Healthplace Seven Pines. Jacksonville, FL. 2026.
2025
Veterans Day Google Doodle Selected Artist. Featured November 11, 2025. https://doodles.google/doodle/veterans-day-2025/
“Mother:Nature,” (Three Person Exhibition) Lorenzo Swinton Gallery. Curated by Lorenzo Swinton. October, 2025. Clarkesville, Tennessee.
Public Art Commission, Gables Riverwalk. Curated by ATP.art. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. 2025. Project Information.
Fall Exhibition (Three Person Exhibition), Thrasher Horne Center. August - December, 2025. Orange Park, Florida.
Women Arts Exchange (Group Exhibition), April 2025. Jacksonville, Fl.
2024
Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville Individual Artist Grant Recipient.https://culturalcouncil.org/grantmaking/ccgj-grant-programs/artist-grants/
“Art of the South” (Group Exhibition), Stove Work Gallery and Number:Inc Magazine. Chattanooga, TN. August 16- Sept 28.
Pocket Utopia, New York, NY. (Two Person Exhibition) Show with Alyssa E. Fanning. June 17-July 14, 2024.
Jacksonville University Faculty Biennial (Group Exhibition), Alexander Brest Gallery. Fall 2024. Jacksonville, FL.
2023
A Midshipman’s Journey (Solo Exhibition), National Veterans Memorial Museum, April-November 2023. Columbus, OH.
Group Collection: “Democracy”, Art in Embassies, with the United States Naval Academy.
2022
“Beyond A Midshipman’s Journey”, Solo Exhibition, United States Pentagon, September 2022-2023
2021
“A Midshipman’s Journey” (Solo Exhibition), United States Naval Academy Museum, 2021-2023. Annapolis, MD.
MFA “In the Works”, Group Show, Alexander Brest Gallery. August 2021. Jacksonville, FL.
“Coastal Forest,” Two Person Exhibition with Theresa Rycaszewski, Beaches Museum. Fall 2021-Spring 2022. Jacksonville, FL.
2019
(Solo Show) St. Johns Cathedral, April 2019, “Canopies,” Part 1. Jacksonville, FL.
(Solo Show) Jewish Community Alliance, June 2019, “Canopies,” Part 2. Jacksonville, FL.
Teaching:
Adjunct Professor, Drawing, Jacksonville University. 2022- 2026. Jacksonville, FL
National Veterans Memorial and Museum, Columbus, Ohio: Guest Artist Teacher, Adult and Family art classes. 2023-2024.