Kristen Chiara grew up traveling around the world, living in Australia, Italy, Britain and the U.S.A. In 1975, she decided to move to San Francisco and began working under another artist. Here, she painted designs for fabrics that would be turned into pillows, wall hangings, and other household materials for countless families across the globe to enjoy. Kristen is the illustrator of "The Pleasure of Pattern," and, in 1980, eventually started her own fabric business.

It wasn't until 1991 when Kristen decided to move to Maui. Here she met roaring success as her quilt, “Paradise” was chosen for the worldwide Millennial Quilt Exhibition in 2000. Kristen has also been selected to show her work in the Art Maui show, not once, but eleven times.