Kristina Tova Ramer’s Art
For most of her life, Kristina Tova Ramer didn’t believe she had time for a quest. Time, after all, was precious—and she gave it away generously: to her daughters, her marriage, her clients, her creative collaborations. The idea of carving out space for her own unfolding felt indulgent, maybe even self-centered.
But then, something shifted.
“I realized I could skim over my life—never diving deep enough to process or truly experience my own journey,” Kristina reflects. “That shocked me. So I made a vow: to stay awake, to listen deeply, and to live a life of exploration and expression.”
Today, Kristina is a multidisciplinary artist, hairstylist, musician, and founder of EVOLVE Hair & Art in Seattle—the city she’s called home since 1991. Her salon is more than a space for organic hair care; it’s a curated, living gallery and a sanctuary for beauty and transformation.
“Ambiance is always part of the process,” she says. “Our evolution happens moment to moment. A balance of the new and the familiar is part of the magic.”
Kristina’s artistry is rooted in a lifelong relationship with the creative. Raised in California by an artistic and multitalented mother, she spent her childhood immersed in sculpture, watercolor, sewing, weaving, and garden design. They built imaginary towns out of appliance boxes in the backyard. Kristina taught herself to play the pump organ, bent wire into earrings after school, and designed entire rooms just to shift the mood.
“My first memory of performing was tap dancing on the stone hearth after dinner,” she laughs. “If someone would pay attention, I was ready to express.”
She carried this spirit into adulthood, channeling her creative energy into hairstyling, music, window design in New York City, and eventually entrepreneurship. In the 1980s, she apprenticed under a master stylist in Manhattan and styled hair for Cosmo shoots and morning television. But it wasn’t just about the glam—it was about connection. “I loved meeting people. I loved the everyday creativity and challenge of transformation.”
Motherhood brought its own kind of art. For 30 years, Kristina partnered with a fellow creative and raised two brilliant daughters. While parenting took center stage, she still found time to play music, take art classes, and infuse her home and community with beauty and intention. “Being a good parent is a selfless job,” she says. “But I always managed some selfishness—or sanity practices—like drumming or designing something just for the joy of it.”
In 2010, as her daughters grew older, she launched EVOLVE, blending her passions for holistic beauty, community care, and visual storytelling. Then, in 2020, she stepped even deeper into her personal creative practice. Studying with Shiloh Sophia and the Musea Center for Intentional Creativity, she unearthed a new layer of voice and vision through painting. Her series Legends and Archetypes Reveal and Heal emerged as a celebration of feminine wisdom and inner transformation.
Now, Kristina lives by a vow: to explore, to create, and to live a life that nurtures both personal joy and collective wisdom. “I’m learning to love boundaries,” she says. “I’m learning to listen below the surface of my thoughts. My quest is no longer something I avoid—it’s how I return to myself.”
And that, perhaps, is the heart of Kristina’s art: not just making beautiful things, but making space for a beautiful life.