Kristen Thies

Curating Fine Art Collections With Integrity since 1998

About the Curator

While living in Colorado, Kristen Thies managed marketing and publicity for Smith Klein Gallery located in Boulder. In 1996, Kristen became Co-Director of the Merrill Gallery of Fine Art, located in Denver, where she first met Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik. In 1997, Kristen and her now late husband Timothy R. Thies founded West Wind Fine Art, LLC. In that same year, Kristen assisted Richard Schmid in the production of his landmark book, “ALLA PRIMA- Everything I Know About Painting,” published by Schmid’s company, Stove Prairie Press, LLC.  Kristen also served as the marketing director for SPP.

Then in 1998, Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik moved to Vermont and invited her to represent their paintings in addition to showcasing art work by Timothy R. Thies in the Thies’ small but mighty gallery, in Manchester Center, Vermont. Subsequently, Kristen became Executive Producer for four of Richard Schmid’s Fine Art instructional DVDs. She also assisted in the publication of  RICHARD SCHMID- A RETROSPECTIVE catalog, and coordinated his 2003 historic exhibition at the Butler Institute of American Art, in Youngstown, Ohio. And then in 2016, she curated RICHARD SCHMID’S RETROSPECTIVE show in Denver, CO where over 1000 artists attended the opening reception held at Gallery 1261.

Schmid wrote, “After many years of working with Kristen Thies, I have come to understand that anything is possible to achieve provided one has the imagination and ability to work hard.” In 2006, Kristen wrote and published her first book, “WISDOM & THE DREAMER: Achieving Fulfillment in the Arts, which includes thirty full-color re-productions of paintings by Timothy R. Thies, Richard Schmid, Nancy Guzik, and one bronze sculpture by George Carlson. With determination and the help of Kristen’s creative marketing expertise, Timothy Thies became recognized as one of America’s finest artists, whose work won many prestigious awards, and can be found in numerous private and corporate collections. Unfortunately, in April 2010 after several years of illness, Timothy died peacefully with Kristen by his side.

Says Kristen, “After Timothy’s passing in 2010, I drove back east across the country to start anew–to return to Cape Cod— an area we shared and loved together and also to be closer to Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik in New Hampshire.”

Then in 2020, Kristen moved to Walpole, New Hampshire where she maintains West Wind Fine Art’s strong online presence and continues to curate exceptional Fine Art shows featuring works by the artists she represents, most notably Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik along with resales by Timothy. In addition, she also represents Art from Richard Schmid’s extraordinary protégés, Daniel J. Keys and since 2014, the art of Kathy Anderson, and paintings by artist Judy Stach, of Vero Beach, FL and Little Silver, NJ. I’m also delighted to offer commissions of portraits by renowned, award-winning painter, Tina Garrett and delightful animal portraits by Johanne Mangi.

Kristen is also currently writing and designing a new book on her professional and artistic journey with Richard Schmid which includes his paintings, along with a chapter on the art of Nancy Guzik. It is nearing completion and will be published in 2023. She is also Nancy Guzik’s Executive Assistant and together they continue to promote Richard’s art and his dedication to sharing the knowledge of Representational and Alla Prima Painting techniques with artists worldwide.

“Personally, I need to make my home in a place that surrounds me with beauty and where I experience working on creative projects with my exceptional colleagues, Richard and Nancy—all major reasons for moving to Walpole. Every season is inspirational here and I look forward to sharing my passion for the exquisite beauty of Fine Art with like-minded visitors from around the world.”

For more info. please contact Kristen via email or call: 603-499-6838