Born is Michigan's Upper Peninsula, my roots are in nature. It is with respect and admiration that I participate with my environment. To be outside – not to paint, necessarily (but that, too) –to move, observe, breathe, to take part in the whole environment is where I am vitalized with heightened senses. It's no wonder I love every season. The passage of time through the four seasons offered in my current home of Upstate New York helps me value the color and temperature changes in nature. But no matter where I am, whether travelling, camping, or in my studio I am in awe of the play of light on objects.

Color and light have fascinated me since childhood. My paintings translate life from my individual perspective to tell a visual story using the photographs I take and objects I find interesting. I use shadow and light to set a mood, define a place and time, and bring awareness to the beauty in the every day. I paint to seek an emotional response from the viewer. If when you view one of my paintings and you feel something and are moved, then I've done my job as an artist.

My subject matter includes still life, portraits, and landscape. The subject dictates the medium used to tell the story. Watercolor requires a delicate balance between careful planning and spontaneity. It is my favorite medium because it is a challenge and there is a fine line of knowing when to let go and let the watercolor speak. Pastels are messy, but are my first choice for painting "en plein air" outdoors because they are fast and can capture a moment. Oil paintings have the ability to offer more texture and flexibility for changes, so I can work with them and let the painting emerge as it progresses.

About ten years ago I started taking my painting seriously after having a career in marketing and sales, and later raising children. My return to fine art started with a watercolor class with accomplished artist, Wendy Gwirtzman. Since then, I have studied with Pat Tribastone in oils and pastels, Sari Gaby in portraiture, taken workshops with Albert Handel and Liz Haywood-Sullivan in pastel and Mary Whyte in watercolor. Constructing my own arts education with hand selected teachers works ideally for me. I look forward to continuing my education and painting, painting, painting.

Christine teaches at the University of Rochester's Creative Workshop at the Memorial Art Gallery and is proudly affiliated with the Rochester Art Club, the Main Street Artists, the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society, and the Penfield Art Association.