Today we’d like to introduce you to Krista Benson.
Krista, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Like a print in the darkroom, I am still developing. Imagery has been a passion in my life from the moment I got a pair of glasses at around the age of 7, then I could truly see the beauty and rich detail in the world for the first time. In 1984 I got my first camera as a gift, a half frame SLR film camera my Stepdad Jim bought in Vietnam, and then he built me an amazing darkroom too. Both my parents were super supportive of my creative interests growing up, and I am very thankful for that.
My training in the arts has been a combination of traditional education and lots of work experience. I have a BA degree in Commercial Photography from RIT in Rochester, NY. After graduation in 1995, I lived and worked in Manhattan, NY as a photo assistant to some pretty cool photographers just earning my way day to day. I dipped my toes into Dallas working and growing as an artist for a year too, but it didn’t stick.
Flash forward to 1997 when I first moved to Los Angeles, and my life was forever changed for the better. LA was a rebirth for me as an artist and as an individual. I put down my camera, and I began learning 3D modeling, compositing, and visual effects. I also began my transition in 1997 into the amazing woman I am today! Being a transgender woman was a side of myself I dared not share with other people back then as there was no real trans visibility back in the 1990’s in LA that I knew of.
So I transitioned quietly and as quickly as possible. I remember the night after recovering from gender reassignment surgery in LA still in the hospital I stayed awake as long as I could to watch Hilary Swank win an Academy award for “Boy’s Don’t Cry”. A movie about the horrible and gruesome murder of a transgender man was the best representation the trans community had even at the beginning of the twenty-first century, that is sad. So as a trans woman I lived, worked, and went about my life without people knowing.
I began working on video games like the opening cinematics for Playstation Tekken 3, then moved into working on animated TV shows like Max Steel a kids cartoon show. I continued my creative drive by working on B level movies like “Bats” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” as a vfx artist and compositor. In 2001 I got an amazing job as a digital artist working at Digital Domain, an A level VFX studio, and I was a staff digital artist there for almost ten years. A few movies while at Digital Domain I was a digital artist on include “A Beautiful Mind’, ‘xXx”, “Iron Man 3”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, and “Tron: Legacy”.
In 2004 I got my first Digital Camera, the Canon EOS 20D. This is when I set up a home studio and began shooting portraits again. Through online modeling and photographer meetup websites, I began collaborating with makeup artists and models around LA for creative shooting on my own time after work hours and on weekends.
My original conceptual images are usually shot on green screen and then I create the environments around the characters from my imagination. I continue to work and be creative in the digital art today. I am experimenting now more with VR and photogrammetry. I still love shooting and creating original fantasy portraits of course too.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My dreams are manifested into a visual reality through the process of conceptualizing a world and story around a character or idea. I see my original art as a means of escapism. The digital realm is definitely my favorite medium because anything I can imagine I can create now. My own style as an artist blossomed from a culmination of everything I love about pop culture and fantasy, therefor I love using saturated colors and creating cinematic story driven images. I have realized over the years that it is ok to rework past creations.
So I am never really sure if I can say any of my images are ever finished in my eyes. I have written an entire feature length film around one of my favorite images “Seduction and the Rose Queen”. I find inspiration from other artists all the time too, and the process of coming up with an initial character or look to photograph can be heavily inspired by a fashion designers work or a certain model or artist that has a distinct style all their own.
Most of my imagery includes powerful female characters because I want people to know that women are strong, beautiful, and still mysterious. I hope people enjoy viewing my imagery and feel inspired and uplifted in some way when viewing my work.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I do dream of having a big gallery show traveling the world someday soon… but I think it is dangerous to define that as a successful artist. I think it is difficult and personally damaging to try to define success as an artist.
Success is usually measured by comparing oneself to other people and that has nothing to do with art. I have made a good living as a digital artist working on other peoples grander visions, for the most part, be it a movie, TV show, video game, music video, or commercial, but I don’t think that makes me a successful artist.
The conceptual images on my website are my own visions that no one paid me to make, I did it because I love shooting and creating. Each of those images is a success to me, though I have made no money off of them yet to be honest.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am in a group art show in Downtown Los Angeles at LACDA opening on June 14th and running through July 7th. I have two large limited edition art prints in the show on sale! The two prints are called “Seduction and the Rose Queen”, and “Manifesting Metamorphosis”.
I also have a large print art book available on my website. Anyone interested in a specific image on my site to purchase as an art print feel free to reach out to me also via email. Also, I am available for commissioned creative collaborations.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.tinydragonproductions.com
- Phone: 310-497-7573
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @kbenson_in_la
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
