I'm Krystina. I grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and had one of the best childhoods because of where I lived, on Bartlett Street.

Your typical Philadelphia neighborhood, we lived in twin homes, had at least twenty-five other kids around our age, and didn't spend a summer day inside.

My first dabble into painting started when I was maybe 4 or 5. My mom gave me a bucket of water and a paintbrush and told me to go outside and keep busy. I spent hours outside 'painting' elaborate geometric shapes, creatures, and, my favorite, mansions that had plenty of rooms (with air conditioning) to play in and keep away from the hot, summer sun.

There was only one problem with my paintings - using water as a medium on sweltering 90+ degree days would mean that my creations would dry up  before I got a chance to finish them.

So, I asked my mom for sidewalk chalk. At least with this medium I had a chance to finish my art and keep it longer... until it rained. I took to the driveway (think alleyway but don't you dare call it that) because it had more room to work with. My one story houses became seven stories with art rooms, pools, basketball courts, and, you guessed it, CENTRAL AIR! I drew these elaborate houses likely much later than I probably should have been playing with sidewalk chalk, but these are some of my fondest childhood memories.

Fast forward to today - my parents still live on Bartlett Street and those twenty-five kids around my age, they are, to this day, some of my best friends. Although I studied art through my formative years and well into college, I ended up taking a 'business job' that would pay well and secure a future for me to eventually buy a house with air conditioning.

A few years ago I started drawing wedding dresses as a gift for friends, and it soon grew from a hobby to a small business. During this time I branched out with custom requests and found myself with tons of requests for my favorite pastime - creating beautiful homes!

Bartlett Street Illustrations was created as an ode to my childhood, where I first practiced art, fell in love with architecture, and used my imagination to dream big.