Kristie Bretzke, through painting and sculpture, tells stories that relate to the common, yet complex lives of ordinary people, reflecting their passions, their insecurities, and their vulnerabilities.

Working both from life and photographs, Bretzke begins by asking herself, “What is unusual or unique about this person? Do they have an interesting habit, behavior, or compulsion? I may exaggerate physical characteristics or eccentricities to better reflect frailties we often choose to hide. During the process of developing a painting or sculpture of someone, their image slowly evolves into my own creation, often no longer resembling the personality or physicality of the actual person."