CHRISTIE - "Master Colorist...Maker of Marks"
Born in Michigan in 1946, Carol Christie studied Art Education at Central Michigan University. She relocated to Atlanta,
Georgia in 1969 to raise her family and has been a self-taught artist since 1982. She began exhibiting her bold and colorful
work in 1990 and is now being represented by fine art galleries across the Southern and Northeastern U.S.
Raised
in an atmosphere where there was always a magnificent garden, Christie feels that flowers have been an instinctive,
if not sentimental subject matter for her. Subconsciously, they remind Christie of her mother, who died
when she was a teenager. Christie grew up in a beautiful house in Royal Oak, Michigan - with a garden that out staged the house, at least in Christie’s eyes. “I
can still envision every flower bed and every type of flower in the yard,” she recalls. Her father’s
breathtaking roses have been reincarnated in many of her expressionist works. The pansies that he brought her to plant as
a child have revived themselves a hundred times over in innumerable works. Walking through the yard with her mother, and reciting
the names of flowers are cherished memories that have been reseeded, to blossom over and over again - in her garden and
on canvas - their presence symbolic of peace, love and home.
Her inspiration
is gained from experiencing the earth - feeling, smelling and touching. “Observing
flowers in their natural habitat inspires new ideas,” says Christie.
The ephemeral beauty of flowers is captured in acrylic works - visually transporting viewers to the gardens
of Christie’s childhood memories, and to those she’s passed along life’s highway. As an
artist, she finds within each garden an endless field of possibilities. Her paint brush interprets characteristic idiosyncrasies
in each miraculous plant formation: the jazzy red heads of poppies in a field; the flamboyant aura of sunflowers, the modesty
of formal roses that with the flick of a brush, become sensuous and poetic.
For decades she has been portraying flora with spectacular inventiveness, using them to manipulate mood and space,
to mark passing seasons and to celebrate the inevitable cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
Carol Christie's flowers are curious creations, oftentimes
casually composed and free-spirited - full of exuberant color, in seemingly serendipitous arrangements. “Flowers scattered
in a vase without any consciously controlled order are breathtaking for the simple reason that flowers, in and of themselves,
are such spontaneous gifts of Mother Nature,” says Christie.
Christie exhibits an offbeat style, emphasizing asymmetry and breaking the "rules" of the stiff,
systemic arrangements found in the works of traditional floral artists. Imaginative and lush, chaotic patterns
and ethereal aesthetics pull the viewer beyond the surface of a
two dimensional space, luring them to take a closer look at all of its parts - tissue-thin petals, fine hairs on leaves,
the glow of sunlight highlighting stems. A copious amount of large fragrant blossoms swell elegantly in
striking arrays of color - abstract, yet so compelling in appearance that you can almost smell their fragrance.
2006 represented a peak blooming season in Christie’s artistic career.
She is distinguishing herself as a leading contemporary floral artist, both locally and nationally.
Her works have become sought after by a new-sprung market
of collectors. With her solo show aptly titled Wallflowers, she learned
to burst forward - listening to her own authentic inner-voice.
“I'd found myself meandering down an ambiguous path for the past couple of years. As an artist, one of
the most difficult things to do is to trust your own voice”, she candidly reveals. “We are often
subconsciously influenced by the art of others and by the comments of peers, and sometimes overlook our inner-calling and
what truly makes us unique.”
Circular forms, the symbol of unity and of eternity, dominate Christie's contemporary florals. Large spaces of
color are intermingled with energetic gesticulation lines, with occasional graphite gestures - adding yet a deeper dimension. Christie
reveals that she paints densely in a layered fashion, striving for a generous and abundant floral composition, and just like
a true gardener, over time, she edits some flowers out.
As Carol continues to evolve, she is committed to trusting her uniqueness. The journey, not the destination, is her
driving force. If her work speaks to you, thank you for coming along for the ride. She'll do her best to keep it enjoyable;
both for her and for you!
