Kirsten Tradowsky, an Ohio native, grew up on a farm outside of Cleveland in a creative family. Her father was a sculptor, and after her brother introduced her to painting, Tradowsky pursued the medium for her love of color-mixing. She earned her BFA at Cleveland Institute of Art, then headed West to complete her MFA at The California College of the Arts. Tradowsky has received numerous grants and accolades, including the Cleveland Institute of Art Portfolio Grant (1998-2003), The Paul Travis Memorial Award in Painting (2002), and The Murphy & Cadogan Fellowship Award in Painting (2005). She has held artist residencies in Oakland, CA and Italy. With an extensive exhibition history in California, Tradowsky's work has been shown throughout the United States, including at The de Young Museum and Maybaum Gallery in San Francisco, and the Kopeikin Gallery in Los Angeles. Her work has been reviewed in The Los Angeles Times and on the blog Lenscratch. Tradowsky currently resides with her family in the Twin Cities.