Meet Kristina Joy

Hello! I am a Minnesota oil painter whose work points back to one simple truth: God's care reaches to everything He made, from the heavens to the smallest sparrow.

Working primarily in oils, I paint with a focus on color and the quiet personality of each subject. My work has grown in two directions, both from the same root.

Birds

Birds are my primary subject matter. These lovely paintings can be hung in kitchens, hallways, or bedrooms—anywhere ordinary life happens and where it's essential to remember that you're always held by the One who created you. The God who feeds the birds of the air cares for you, too.

Sacred Art

My sacred art paintings hang in Our Lady of the Rosary Cathedral (The Immaculate Conception), Saint Michael's Catholic Church (Saint Joseph and the Infant Jesus), and Holy Family Catholic Church (Saint Michael) in Duluth, Minnesota. I also have a painting of the famous Trinity painting in Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in Madison, Wisconsin.

Background

I grew up in a creative home with a mom who is also a professional painter and a dad who can make just about anything (he's framed many of my paintings!).

I trained at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, then spent one year teaching art in Guadalajara, Mexico, before opening my own art studio in Duluth's historic DeWitt-Seitz Marketplace.

Today, I share an art studio with my mom in Duluth, Minnesota, with a beautiful view of Lake Superior.

Artist Statement

Birds are joyful creatures to me. When I paint them, I'm not only trying to capture feathers or form, but the feeling they carry: movement, fragility, freedom, longing, and grace.

My work is rooted in observation and emotion. I'm drawn to the way a bird is both delicate and resilient at the same time. A tilted head, a pause on a branch, light catching the softness of a wing, or the quick escape from a predator. Through oil paint, I capture those moments and give them a lasting presence.

Nature has a way of speaking gently or strongly. Birds are part of nature's gentle language. In a noisy and hurried world, I want my paintings to be a reminder of beauty, peace, and the sacredness woven into ordinary life.

Each painting is created with care, layering color, texture, and light to bring warmth and life to the canvas. My hope is that the viewer not only sees a bird, but feels a sense of connection, wonder, and calm that draws them closer to the One who made it.

Scripture says not one sparrow is forgotten before God. I hope my paintings help people remember that they aren't forgotten either.