Kristen Palana
MASTER ARTIST
Unlock Your Artistic Potential
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Mentoring Emerging Artists
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MEDIUM: Mixed Media | Acrylic | Digital | Drawing | Ink
SPECIALTY: ✔ Building Your Brand ✔ Website Sales ✔ Social Media
In my own art practice, I draw the world not as it is but how I wish it could be. I use symbols, icons, and patterns with cross-cultural significance combined with color psychology to help soothe, heal, and reinvigorate weary idealists. Inspired by the lofty mission statements used by the world’s top organizations, my images are a call to action to visualize better outcomes for our lives, communities, and the planet. Through my mixed media drawings, I layer colors, lines, and textures with ink and acrylic on vellum or canvas, adapting my practice to suit an expat’s location-independent life on the move and in diverse environments.
Joining this mentorship means we’re not only going to dive into your art business, income opportunities, teaching, and tech tools. We’ll also explore how your work can inspire meaningful dialogue, challenge perspectives, and contribute to positive societal change. This is about empowering you to use your creativity as a force for good, encouraging a deeper connection with your community and the wider world.
Kristen’s EXPERTISE
Listed below are this Mentor’s specialty skills. Join this group if you want to grow in these areas.
Specialty: ✔ Building Your Brand ✔ Social Media ✔ Website Sales
Technical:
Colour and Composition
Incorporating digital tools and technologies into an art practice
MARKETING & BRANDING:
Website Design
Social Media
Artist Statement & CV
Marketing & Branding
Building Relationships With Fans
Building A Strong Online Persona
Business:
Selling Online
Products, Prints, & Reproductions
Help Making A Career Change
Life Design Plans
Applying for Grants & Fellowships
Running Your Art Business the Day to Day
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MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST
Kristen Palana is an American/Portuguese multidisciplinary artist based in Rome, Italy. After decades of work as a digital artist, she reconnected with her fine art roots in 2021. Her mixed media drawings, inspired by the ambitious mission statements of the world’s top organizations, serve as a call to action to visualize better outcomes for our lives, communities, and the planet. Her time living in Myanmar and Malawi from 2016 to 2024 also deeply influences her work, celebrating diverse cultures and exploring themes of unity and oneness. Kristen's earlier animations have been showcased at over 75 international film festivals, earning numerous awards for “Best Animated Short Film,” including rom the Cannes Short Film Festival, Italy International Film Festival, and Sunscreen Film Festival.
As an educator, Kristen has taught at universities on four continents. She co-founded the Film and Digital Media BFA at The American University of Rome, where she taught full-time beginning in 2006, earned tenure in 2009, and led the Film and Digital Media Program from 2013 to 2016. From 2016 to 2019, she expanded her teaching to academic institutions and NGOs in Myanmar, including at the groundbreaking American University of Myanmar. Currently, Kristen offers in-person, hybrid, and online courses and training for various organizations, including returning to teach at The American University of Rome.
In addition to her fine art practice, Kristen has worked as a designer, educator, and consultant for international agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The British High Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Food Programme (WFP), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and The Australian High Commission. Kristen crafts training programs catering to diverse audiences and, since 2014, has reached over 80,000 online students from 191 countries. Her learners range from refugees and diplomats to individuals without formal education living on less than $2 USD a day, reflecting her commitment to inclusivity and empowerment.
