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“My name is Christine and I am….” This was one of the first intellectual exercises thrown at us on the Foundation Art and Design Course that was the start of my professional art journey. We were given A4 paper and on each sheet we had to put the above followed by a qualifying word or phrase which had to be artistically depicted. It was a fun start to what became a life changing process. I depicted words like colourful, abstract, childish and disturbed (slashed, burnt, torn etc.). My very last one reflected my hopes, dreams, doubts and insecurities of the moment. I left it blank with just “…an artist?”.
20 years on from that moment I am still learning, still seeking limits and constantly trying to answer that question. Art isn’t a career, it’s a state of being and I have been driven to creative pursuits all my life, drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. I still have paintings made in my teens yet for years art took a back seat whilst working and raising a family. I sewed and I knitted and undertook the odd adult ed class; but, it wasn’t until retiring from computing and undertaking a Fine Art Ba that I finally realised my passion and abilities. University was the crucible in which a more confident and adamant artist formed. Here, my artistry and intellect burgeoned and my eclectic ethos quickly established itself. In 2024 I gained an MA in History & Philosophy of Art (with Distinction) which also satisfied a desire to write.
Drawing is probably my most accomplished skill and when I discovered coloured pencils some years ago I realised I had found the perfect medium for my predilection for realism. Being something of a Renaissance girl, the precision and processes of coloured pencils, and their ability to produce paintings work perfectly for me, both practically and intellectually.
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