There is a lot of superb contemporary realism being made these days; this article by Allison Malafronte shines light on a gifted individual.
Colton Kruizenga’s drawings that combine multiple media — charcoal, chalk, graphite, pastel, ink, and/or colored pencil — achieve an exacting effect of ethereal mystery and technical virtuosity. Clearly this artist has found the right genre to voice his emotional connection to, and unique interpretations of, a variety of subjects and stories. “I have always been fascinated by the beauty and significance in seemingly ordinary environments, where one can find elegance in the mundane details of everyday life,” he says.
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Kruizenga earned his B.F.A. from Kendall College of Art and Design there in 2013. Now residing in Queens, the artist creates full-time and exhibits at venues in New York City and the Midwest. In recent years he has won several awards, including placing as a finalist in the 16th Annual International ARC Salon Competition and the 2023 Beautiful Bizarre International Art Prize. He also won First Place from juror Vincent Desiderio at Brooklyn’s 2019 Offscreen Art Show for his drawing Sorrowful Midwest.
Kruizenga takes his time in both developing his concepts and the actual execution. In works such as “The Moon Is Bright on this Treetop Night,” “Six Nights to the North,” and “Magic Isn’t Real Until It’s Gone,” the drawings look like illustrative dreams, filled with mystery, symbolism, and delicate beauty. The soft shading and expert gradations of value and texture that his drawing media provide allow Kruizenga to create otherworldly environments that viewers can’t help but fall into as they contemplate what is being communicated.
Kruizenga’s 2023 “Reverie” (pictured above) falls into the allegorical category the artist revels in. At first glance, it would seem this work is about some type of mourning that the young woman is going through. The dead bird represents something that has passed, and perhaps the eggs surrounding it represent hope of new life – or a lament that what the eggs represent did not come to fruition.
Regardless of how we interpret it, one thing is for sure: the artist achieved his intended goal. “I find this piece to be my most important to date, if not to the public, at least to myself,” he says. “This is an idea I have been working on for years, and this is the first time I have captured its true essence. It is a work representing the passage of time and our complacency in its unfolding.”
Connect with the artist on Instagram, @colton_kruizenga.
This article was originally published in Fine Art Connoisseur magazine (subscribe here).
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