BIOGRAPHY

A native of California, Mary Christiansen has resided in New York City since 1977 where she paints and teaches art.  She holds a MA from UCLA and a certificate in Botanical Art and Illustration from the New York Botanical Garden.  Her landscape and natural science paintings have been exhibited throughout the United States.  

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I have always been intrigued by nature.  Growing up in Southern California, I was the kid on the block with the jar filled with bugs, the rock collection, the shell collection, and the aquarium full of caterpillars destined to become butterflies.  In the sixth grade I created a science notebook with pages dedicated to each one of the California wildflowers that I had gathered in the canyons behind our house, identified, and pressed.  It was my favorite school project of all time.  The greenhouse in which my father raised his prize cymbidiums was a magical place.  To this day I remember the huge, lush plants dripping with water and the smell of the damp moss on the terra cotta pots. 

 As an artist I continue to be captivated by natural subjects.  I have painted landscapes since studying art in college, but relatively recently I came to the genre of botanical and natural science art.  The slow, meditative pace, the intimate scale, and meticulous attention to detail suit my temperament perfectly.  In executing my paintings, I am drawn to form and fascinated by the effects of light striking surface texture.  My most recent work concentrates on wading birds, ducks, and shore birds.  These types of birds provide scope for the depiction of reflections, shadows, and light on water.  Furthermore I am intrigued by the intelligent personality of birds, how they relate to each other, and the care with which they raise their young. 

MC

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Email: marykchristiansen@gmail.com