“Painting quiets my mind and allows me to capture moments of joy in nature.”
Getting to Know the Artist
INSPIRATIONS
As I move through life, I discover more and more who I am as an artist. Getting to those roots of creativity has been a joyful path of self-discovery. For many years of my life I have been graced with many tremendous experiences in Mother Nature. Nature has continually given me so much—smells, visions, sounds, tastes and feelings of its grandeur. All of which affect me in different ways and enable me to express myself on canvas. Since I live in front of the ocean I constantly feel, smell and see the ocean. When I look at the colors in nature I see many are bright, vivid, hence these bold, alluring tones appear in my work. When I paint there is the subconscious undercurrent of all those aspects due to my environment in my studio. Also my decades of being a scuba diver and photographer for both land and underwater provide an intuitive flow for my sea inspired paintings.
PROCESS
Meditation makes me aware of my connection. In a centered state, my mind, body and spirit align and divulge memories and feelings of my aquatic experiences. To begin I might draw a quick sketch of the main composition and then I begin in an intuitive way. Acrylic is my main medium but I add a special mixture of other ingredients so the paints will flow and to achieve the textures. The fluidity of the paint allows me to feel the flow of the ocean and its marvelous color palette. While I am immersed in a meditative state I “move” the paint with spatulas, scrapers, and fingers for many hours. As my creative process moves forward, I add details of current-like forms and unique sea life interpretations. The organic shapes, textures and bright colors become a way to express myself and connect with the viewer.
ASPIRATIONS
It is my deepest wish that through my poetic vision of marine images, textures, colors you will be more mindful of what you do on a day to day basis and how your actions affect our environment. I impart on canvas what I experience subconsciously—the joy of seeing unusual visions, the sounds of the waves, the feel of Mother Sea taking me in her arms as I am swept in a current. As you pause to enjoy these ever-changing sea elements, I hope the smaller, hidden interpretations will remind you of these sea creatures and their need for a safe and secure place on our planet Earth.
B. Chrisse Harwanko Live interview by Menduina Schneider Art Gallery, August 2020 for participation in the 5th Salon de Pintura Internacional, Los Angeles, California
“Mother Ocean is such a provider of life and love for the world. It is an immense yet very fragile part of this planet. We, as residents of Planet Earth, need to be more aware and conscious of our daily actions and how they affect the ocean’s inhabitants.”
Artist Journey
“Many species have disappeared forever or on the verge of extinction. Many sea animals in my paintings are hiding in hopes of survival. There are sometimes just parts of animals to symbolize the fragility of their state of existence. My wish in painting the sea is that everyone will wake up up to the beauty of what currently exists and think about how we can make even a small impact in helping Mother Nature gain a stronger stand.”
“New Beginnings”
“Be grateful for all you have. Envision what you want, do what you can to make it happen then let it go to the universe. Seize each day like it is your last. Enjoy the love and nature around you. ”