Crystal Despain

Crystal Despain is a 5th generation Coloradoan and enjoys serving the Colorado art community as the State Ambassador for the Portrait Society of America.

She describes the artist’s experience as “a lifelong journey that requires joy in slow becoming’s, and a genuine hunger for mastery.”

“I’m seeking to find that place where whimsy and life connect. I believe that is where an artist is both child and master, where art is both a celebration and a silence.
This is where the artist has lost nothing in the life of a thing, but has instead given the subject new significance.”

In the years since earning her BA in Visual Arts from the University of Northern Colorado, Crystal has remained dedicated to her education and credits much of her progress to her studies with several renowned artists including Casey Childs, Keith Bond, and Tina Garrett. She is heavily influenced by historical masters of the late 1800’s Naturalist movement including Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret, George Clausen, Edgar Maxence and James Guthrie.

Crystal lives in Northern Colorado with her husband, 5 sons, and sole female companion, a mischievous whippet named Indie.

B. 1981