Carrie Christian

Congratulations to my friend, Carrie Christian for her acceptance into the new Southern issue of New American Paintings! I hadn't seen her work in awhile and was so excited to see her series concerning interiors. It hard for me to imagine just how she does it- but she creates a regular collage then painstakingly hand paints the collaged image in watercolor! Visit her new website for more! She also has work at shopSCAD-including some made in collaboration with her new hubby, Woodie Webber!

Dollhouse III
32" x 32" 2009
watercolor on paper

Dollhouse III, detail

Dream House
33" x 40" 2007
watercolor on paper

Dream House, detail

Interior I
15" x 22" 2008
watercolor on paper

Interior I, detail

Christmas
32"x 42" 2009
watercolor on paper

Christmas, detail

These works begin as a means to gain control but deepen into a borderline devotional experience. All my life I have developed rituals to soothe myself into feeling I had some power over my circumstances. These paintings represent my anxieties while providing an escape from them. The act of translating each collage into watercolor creates an intimacy that mimics inhabitance. I am able to “live” in these works while I am painting them. Ultimately I am locked out as I find myself always on the outside of them, always left looking in.

-Carrie Christian. (thanks, Carrie!)