Artist Statement

The Selfie and the Soul: An Exploration of Accidental Art in the Digital Age

This current body of work began with a simple impulse: after joining Facebook in 2012, I often found myself commenting on friends' photos, “This would make a great painting.” That offhand remark became a long-term exploration of the blurry boundary between selfies and traditional portraiture. Using a saved archive of social media images, I’ve brought these moments to life in paint—turning fleeting snapshots into enduring pieces of art.

These paintings  explore the tension between public persona and private reality, particularly in the age of the selfie. My goal was to create pieces that are accessible, beautiful, emotionally resonant, and unafraid to challenge or amuse a wide variety of audiences.

BIO

Kirsten Holt Beitler is a full-time artist creating both commercial and fine art. She paints narrative figurative and portrait-based work, drawing from the visual language of pop culture, typography, and kitsch. Whether making hand drawn art signs for Harmons Grocery or working in her studio, her focus remains on the deeply human—capturing how life’s experiences etch themselves onto the face and body.

Kirsten’s paintings often explore the tension between public persona and private reality. Her work highlights how humor, nostalgia, and vulnerability coexist in our digital image culture. She aims to create pieces that are accessible, beautiful, and emotionally resonant.