Drawing on the Senses (DOTS) is my teaching, writing, and mentorship practice. Developed alongside and informed by my artmaking practice, DOTS guides people through exploratory exercises that engage and challenge the way we use and conceive of our senses. This work is rooted in the belief that the senses are not merely biological, but are the place where biology meets physics, history, culture, philosophy, theology, ethics— in other words, it is the place where we learn what it means to be human. DOTS invites people first to notice the ways in which our senses have been conscripted into perceptual frameworks that limits our relations, and then to experiment with ways to sense into other possibilities and ways of being in relation with our lifeworlds.

DOTS uses experimental drawing, reflective and somatic practices that transgress categorical and binary definitions of space and place, self and world, opening new possibilities for perception. For some, this leads to a deep dive into a drawing practice and an exploration of artmaking within wild ecologies of creativity. For others, DOTS provides a methodology to encounter the myriad challenges of this moment (ecosystem collapse, extractive capitalism, legacies of settler colonialism) in a fluid and generative space less circumscribed by languages of modernity. For most, this practice is a journey into the unfamiliar, the uncertain, and the strange. DOTS does not offer a codified set of alternative methods or knowledges to produce results or train people to be experts. DOTS is not a new approach to learning, it is an un-learning, a being-with.

WHO IS DOTS FOR?

I guide and collaborate with a wide variety of people including artists, public intellectuals, educators, researchers, writers, and scientists in and out of formal institutional settings and in a variety of disciplines. You do not need to have any prior drawing experience to engage with this practice.


HOW TO WORK WITH ME

There are many ways for you to access this material.

Photos from Krista’s Drawing on Plants workshop at Basin Gallery, 2022.

TESTIMONIALS

Peter Mallozzi, “Shelter of Stars” zodiac drawings.

“Krista is the real deal. With the lesson space she creates, and with her intuitive guidance, I pushed myself to the edge. It’s uncomfortable at first, but being there long enough leads to the discovery that there is no edge. The ideas we have uncovered, the mysteries we have courted, and the wilderness I am pushed to explore within myself have infected all areas of my life.”

—Peter Mallozzi, Astrologer, Brooklyn, NY - Individual Mentorship

“The “Gut Lights” creative mentorshop workshop was given to me as a gift. It opened up my (at the time) very small and uninspired world, I had been going through the motions and processing pandemic life- so shifting my focus to a creative outlet was very rewarding. 

Krista created a judgement-free space that felt deeply open and connected despite being in a remote, zoom-based class. I received so much from the experience and would highly recommend it to anyone. “Gut Lights” offered a supportive and inquisitive environment that inspired me tap back into a creative process and learn new ways to incorporate artistic moments into my daily life.” 

—Grayson Schmidt, Bartender, Abolitionist, Doula, Brooklyn, NY - Gut Lights

“The gut lights course was literally life changing for me - allowed me a portal into creativity that has opened up so many avenues of expression and finally getting out of my own way to be and create as I was meant to!” —Michelle Farnsworth, Author, Coach, Advocate, Washington D.C. - Gut Lights

“Krista creates a supportive platform that encourages more freedom in one’s mindset and work. She radiates a knowingness. Her empathetic approach is radical in its supportive, light-filled way.”

—Jennifer Jaffe, Artist, Model, Aesthetician, New York, NY - Drawing on the Senses and Gut Lights

“Krista’s approach is more than just instruction, it’s a way of igniting all the senses so that drawing becomes a whole body experience. Each class is an exploration so that seeing becomes not just observation, but a real way to feel the presence of the world in and around me. Her teaching style is warm and insightful, guiding without directing, and her classes are fun, stimulating and enjoyable. Working with Krista has helped me tap into my creativity more deeply than ever before.”

—Sander Williams, Architect, Brooklyn, NY - Drawing on the Senses

“Krista is a great art teacher helping me learn about areas of myself that I didn’t know existed. Calling her an art teacher is a understatement of high magnitude."

—Paul Grotas, Attorney, Brooklyn, NY - Private Classes

“I don't think of it as a drawing class. To me it's more an ongoing art exploration with special attention paid to body, portraiture and live subjects generally. Yes, pencils may be used... or not! You might instead choose pens, or water colors, or printed material, or objects found while walking around that day, put all together on a single page, or cut and rearranged, or collaged, or handled in any way that makes an overall personal, creative point.

A drawing class is a 'how to'. This class is an interior 'where to', with the destination motivated by poetic and philosophic texts and the direction guided by design principles. This place you go/create, you can people it as you wish with faces, bodies, real, unreal, in tones, colors, lines, scribbles, splotches of spices...”

—Mark DiBattista, Mathematician, Queens, NY - Drawing on the Senses

“Krista’s class has been a major turning point in a huge, lifelong journey. It rearranged the constellations and turned me from a training wheel to a tractor trailer, from a flipped coin into a slot machine.”

—Aeric Meredith-Goujon, Photographer/Musician/Coach, Brooklyn, NY - Drawing on the Senses