Artist Kristen Loffer Theiss Gets Creative with her Work/Life Balance
How one Mount Vernon mom gets creative
By Seattle Mag May 9, 2013
This article originally appeared in the July 2013 issue of Seattle magazine.
The act of parenting doesn’t allow parents an abundance of time for artistic endeavors. How could it, when you’ve got the life of (at least) one other human to organize in addition to your own? Yet Mount Vernon mom and artist Kristin Loffer Theiss has uncovered a trick to the work/life balance we may all be able to learn from: Draw your children into your creative pursuits so you can actually spend time doing them. Loffer Theiss has a line of plush mobiles, pillows, letterpress prints and clothing based on illustrations she creates freehand on a sewing machine. Along with her artist husband, Chris (view his ceramic sculpture at the new Bainbridge Island Museum of Art through September), Loffer Theiss has instilled a deep love of creativity in their 5-year-old son, Sayer. The budding artist can often be found drawing (he loves making his own maps) and exploring Mount Vernon, amusing proof of which you can follow on Instagram (@kltworks). “Sayer has learned that if he wants or needs something, like a bridge for his car, we can make one rather than go buy one,” Loffer Theiss explains. “He has his own small area to work in in almost every room, including my studio, and it’s not unusual to find all of us drawing, painting or working on a creative project together.” KLTworks products—which range from $12 for a print to $86 for a one-of-a-kind plush doll to $180 for a mobile—can be found online at kltworks.com and at Click! Design That Fits (West Seattle, 4540 California Ave. SW; 206.328.9252)
Follow Us
Ferry Tales: Eight Indie Bookstores Worth the Ride
Plan a summer day around these bookshops in Seattle, Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, Kingston, and Poulsbo.
Independent bookstores tend to be cornerstones of the communities in which they reside, and Seattle is no exception. In addition to helping customers discover their next read, these neighborhood hubs host weekly gatherings and events, like publication release parties, author talks, and book clubs. Many of them have cafés and reading tables that encourage lingering…
Rearview Mirror: Seattle Art Fair is Back, Nordstrom Throws a Block Party, and a Must-Try Ice Cream Sundae
Things I did, saw, ate, learned, or read in the past week (or so).
SEATTLE ART FAIR RETURNS The buzziest event of the summer (well, aside from the World Cup), is returning next week. Now in its 10th edition, the Seattle Art Fair will once again take over the Lumen Field Event Center, packing it to the gills with art from 101 local, national, and international galleries. This year,…
Studio Sessions: Jennifer Leigh Harrison
Seattle artist Jennifer Leigh Harrison uses layers of paint and abstraction to explore what we carry beneath the surface.
Jennifer Leigh Harrison’s paintings are dense with movement. Color and texture gather into mosaic-like fields, as if they have been fractured and reformed. There are places in the work where a frenetic buzz seems trapped between the canvas and the first layer of paint. That energy runs through Patterns of Belonging, her current exhibition at…
ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart
The Federal Way-raised singer talks hometown memories, Ivar’s clam chowder, and how it feels to perform in the place he grew up.
Long before he was performing in sold-out arenas around the world and representing brands like Prada, ENHYPEN’s Jay called the Puget Sound region home. Born Jay Park (not to be confused with the other famous K-pop star of the same name, who is also from Seattle) in Seattle and raised in nearby Federal Way before…