MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS
I will never forget getting a message from Mindy Kaling telling me she loved my work. She now has two custom pieces in her Malibu home.”
drive by the little white hut, you can taste the Pork Roll, Egg, and Cheese. The true magic was having my grandparents around the corner. My grandmother tutored me in French and helped me with my summer school work. She loved to walk the “boards,” especially in the rain and they both were avid croquet players and enjoyed the old course on Ocean Avenue. The only thing better than these memories was building them. What made you decide to continue the tradition of summers in Spring Lake? Continuing this tradition with our children is such a privilege. We get to raise our children with lifelong friends I made here as a kid, and pass down the magic of summer friends, biking barefoot, playing on the beach, and perhaps even becoming lifeguards like their uncles. The extra time with their grandparents is the icing on the cake, creating their own unique memories. Bike rides to Hoffman’s, shopping with Gramma, and fishing with Grandpa are some of their favorites. I can’t wait to hear our children reflect on Spring Lake summers when they are older. How did you begin Kristen Tirney Art? It was an organic process. As a child, I gravitated towards art attending classes at Brielle Art Center and later taking private lessons in high school. After a decade of teaching, I stepped away when my son JT was born. Around the same time, we moved and I loved putting my creative skills to work through the process of interior design. Feeling uninspired by available artwork, I began painting, starting on my kitchen floor with a canvas and paint. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I slowly took over the living room, and soon after I began posting my work
BY KATIE SCHRADER - EDITOR Couture CANVAS TO A JOURNEY OF CREATIVITY AND FAMILY TRADITIONS
K risten Tirney, a life-long summer resident, has a deep bond with Spring Lake, a town that has provided and continues to create a lifetime of memories. Now, as she continues the tradition with her own children, Kristen and her husband Jeff, embrace the magic of summer friendships and carefree, seaside living. We sat down with Kristen, an accomplished artist, to discuss her love of Spring Lake, artwork, and her latest accomplishment, a fashion collaboration with Fanm Mon.
What were the best parts of your childhood summers in Spring Lake? Spring Lake has been a part of my family for as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are from my grandparents’ home on Monroe where wiffle ball games filled our evenings long after the sun went down. My parents’ first house was a stone’s throw from Hoffman’s, and morning bike rides with my dad, especially to Sidoroff’s were a highlight. Though long since operating, sometimes when you
20 July 2024
Stroll Spring Lake 21
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