17. Lightness of Being by Kris Fretheim

Growing up in her father's art studio and posing for his portrait painting classes, Kristine Fretheim knew at a young age that she would become a professional artist. She received a Bachelor of Science in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and studied art education at George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee. Kristine began painting in watercolor in the 1970's when she moved to Minneapolis, MN from the San Francisco Bay Area. She worked in advertising and graphic design for over 25 years and taught watercolor at various Twin Cities art centers. Her work is featured in Splash 8: Watercolor Discoveries and Splash 11: New Directions by Northlight Books. She received formal invitation to join Watercolor USA Honor Society in 2011. Fretheim’s paintings are in collections across the Midwest and have been selected for awards in national and international juried exhibits throughout the United States. You can see her artwork at the historic Northrup King Building in the Northeast Arts District of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Set amidst crumbling cobblestone streets and railroad tracks, over 300 artists work in the 4-story, brick warehouse. While the building used to store and process plant seeds, now it is home to the creative process of painters, sculptors and designers.