“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Making “what is essential” visible is really at the center of making art. Whether design or fine art, this process is essentially a journey of discovery - a search for order within chaos, balance between extremes and the evocation of feeling - all at once. It is an exploration of what lies beneath, what we can’t always see, but can feel.
This requires a letting go of preconceptions in order to understand beyond what is known - allowing the unexpected to emerge. Letting the work itself lead and inform is a practice and a challenge. This ‘conversation‘ with the work results, hopefully, in a connection not only to something unknown within myself but to those who engage with it. Both the process and its result evolve, holding the potential to make visible something sacred within the mundane, ultimately, reclaining within us a sense of awe - connecting us to something beyond ourselves and to what dwells deep within, simultaneously.
For me, it doesn’t get better than that.
about
Working in graphic design and interactive media disciplines for over 3 decades, Maureen Kringen has applied a love of painting and fine art to a design approach that is textural and illustrative, with a modern sensibility.
When the digital medium was only beginning to become capable of displaying rich visual environments, a combination of timing and a personal interest in unusual mediums landed Maureen in the computer gaming industry. Challenged with bringing a higher standard of design and beauty to the interactive platform, she explored ways to expand beyond current computer graphic limitations.
As Art Director at SEGA’s Southern California division, she trained and led a growing team of artists in the development of gaming environments and characters. Her team worked to push the boundaries of art and animation within a digital medium in it’s infancy. As Group Director, Maureen had the opportunity to research and develop projects exploring the application of artificial intelligence and neural networks to broaden both the conceptual content of the interactive experience as well as look and feel. With the advent of the public internet, her experience with digital media led seamlessly into website development and a return to graphic design for print. Maureen has developed and created for her clients a visual voice that resonates and creates meaningful connections to their unique communities.
Her design, illustration and interactive media work has been featured in Print Magazine, Typographic Form and Communication, Third edition design textbook for The School of the Arts Virginia Commonwealth University, The Society of Illustrators, New York, Wired Magazine and Disney Magazine.
Client projects spanned the disciplines of:
brand identity
website design + development
illustration
print media
and packaging
Maureen currently devotes her time to painting and glasswork. Rediscovering texture, form and color in traditional mediums, she is inspired by the design found in nature and intrigued by the mystery, complexity and strength of the human spirit.
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry