Forward: As I sit down to write this afternoon, I’m reminded of the first article I wrote for Serenity. This month marks one year of my work with this column, and so much of my conversation with Kirstie Connon brought memories of my first-ever interview with Julie Leidel in July 2025. There’s a funny way that life seems to move in circles. While a lot has changed in the last year, this column, and the creative souls I encounter through it, has been a beautiful constant. Thank you for the community we’re building here.
Kirstie Connon is a muralist, painter, and teacher based in Conifer with strong ties to Denver, Oregon, and New York. You might know her from the recent, massive mural she just completed at Creekside Cellars. If you haven’t seen it, this is your sign to get a nice glass of wine and sit by the creek. Take it all in!
“When I moved to Evergreen, my art matured. It aged like fine wine.”
The mural itself is a sparkling wonderland of rich blues, bright greens, and explosive pinks. It’s an expressive masterpiece canvassing the entire backside of the building, and it fills the patio seating area with fresh color and energy. It’s difficult to say whether the creek below, with its ducks and deer, or the mural above, is a prettier sight. A friendly caterpillar hides somewhere within the painting too: he’s an easter egg she paints into most of her murals!
After talking with Kirstie, it’s easy to connect the artist to her work. She lived in Denver for six years before moving to the foothills two years ago. Right after Kirstie first moved to Colorado, the pandemic hit. She now thinks of this season as a unique opportunity where she could fully dedicate herself to her artistic practice. A forced redirection for her career. During this time, she learned how to build her online presence by leveraging online sales, social media, and Zoom workshops to build a successful career. The trick, she tells me, is to maintain multiple sources of income. “To be a truly creative person, you need to know the power of adaptability. Use that as a muscle to know that, when something isn’t working, it doesn’t mean you’re a failure. It’s a signal to pivot.”
Since her move to the foothills, Kirstie’s paintings have shifted significantly. “When I moved to Evergreen, my audience changed… my paintings are much more nature-based now as opposed to the emotional, visionary fantasy I was doing in Denver.” Early in her career, and while living in Denver, Kirstie frequented music festivals as a live painter, where her works at the time reflected the music, community, and culture of the events she attended. While her art looks different now, it’s clear that these influences in her early career were instrumental for Kirstie as she developed her unique techniques, philosophies, and motivations with her work. “When I moved to Evergreen, my art matured. It aged like fine wine,” she laughs. “I also think having a sense of impermanence to your work and routine can be really helpful. It allows you to become a versatile artist with a lot more skills.” For example, Kirstie’s online sales are most successful during the holidays, but they drop significantly during January and February. During this season, she finds that people are more interested in her workshops.
This seasonal cycle also helps Kirstie build boundaries for herself with creating. “Art is my meditation, but it’s also my career. So I have to find ways to make sure that the meditation stays the meditation, and the business stays the business.” By supplementing art sales with workshops, childcare, live wedding painting, murals, or private instruction, Kirstie creates multiple income streams throughout the year, which takes the pressure off of each one individually. This cycle keeps her flexible while nurturing her creativity in a way that feels organic and natural.
Off the canvas, Kirstie has many rituals that fertilize her creative energy. She enjoys hiking, yoga, and dance as means of self-expression by stirring around stagnant energy. She also approaches cooking as its own creative project, practicing intuitive decision-making with hands-on experimentation. Kirstie explains her love of cooking as a balancing act. “Painting can sometimes be an out-of-body experience. It creates dissonance between my body and mind when I paint for hours and forget to eat, drink water, and my posture gets all messed up,” she smiles. “Cooking is a good way for me to take an active break, but I can still be in my creative flow.” Taking care of her body helps support Kirstie’s goals of longevity and sustainability in her creative practice. I think these values shine through in much of her work, too. Themes of sunrises, healthy fields of flowers, high alpine peaks, and spirits of women lounging across vast landscapes create an overall sense of wonder, serenity, and belonging. These imaginative expressions of both real and fantastic places arise from an integrated mind and body working together to communicate what lies deeper.
Fall in love with Kirstie’s imaginative creations by visiting KirstieConnon.com. She is moving to Bend, Oregon at the end of the month and is hosting a massive 50 percent off sale on all her work to open space for a new body of work! Support her relocation, show some love, and follow along on Instagram and Facebook at @kirstie.connon.art.
