These paintings and constructions are an investigation into the soul life, into innocence; a passionate wish to intuitively grasp the nature of human dignity and to participate in the interconnectedness of all things.
CHRISTINA CHALMERS
BORN: 1948, Madison WV
EDUCATION:
1984 MA in Art & Education, Rudolf Steiner College, Sacramento, CA
1969 BA in Art & Literature, U of Iowa
A Heart of Birdsong
"There was singing in the sky.
The birds were winging wildly
Across the white orchards and dark green fields.
The dreamer watched his flock fly on
On, and out of sight.
He could still hear the songs as they arrived
Wordless
Into the center of his heart."
"This series is an investigation into the soul life, into innocence. . . Perhaps, a visual manifestation of the contradictions and complexities of life and of its ultimate mystery and beauty. . .
a passionate wish to intuitively grasp the nature of human dignity and to participate in the interconnectedness of all things and to finally arrive at the center...
the heart filled with birdsong.” Christina Chalmers
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
Selby Fleetwood Gallery, SFe, NM, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005
Denise Roberge Fallery, Palm Desert, CA, 2008
Deitch Projects, NYC, NY, 2008
Art & Soul Gallery, Boulder, CO, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2001
Box Gallery, SFe, NM, 2007
Walker Fine Art, Denver, CO, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2000
HTC Gallery, Minneapolis, MN, 2006, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1998, 1997
Gallerie di Fontesseca, Spoleto, Italy, 2003
Mas d’Icard, Provence, France, 2003
Deloney Newkirk Fine Art, SFe, NM, 2002, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995
Façade Gallery, Paris, France, 2001
Chiaroscuro Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, 2001
RVS Fine Art, Southampton, NY, 2001, 2000
Studio Arte Gallerie, Spoleto, Italy, 2001, 1999
Port Jackson Fine Art, Laguna Beach, CA, 2000, 1999, 1998
Lumina Gallery, Taos, NM, 1999, 1998
Ramscale Art Assoc., NYC, NY, 1999
Trinity Gallery, Atlanta, GA, 1998
Bobbi Walker Fine Art, Denver, CO, 1998
Gallerie Fonte Seca, Spoleto, Italy, 1997
Suzanne Brown Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ, 1997, 1996
Orange County CCA, Newport Beach, CA, 1996
Sloan Jordan Gallery, Austin, TX, 1996
Lifetime Television, NYC, NY, 1995
La Sol Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, 1995
Art Soup Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, 1994, 1991
Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL, 1994
Sculpture, NBC Television, NYC, NY, 1993
Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, 1992
Alternative Museum, NYC, NY, 1991
UC Santa Barbara, CA, 1990
Atkinson Gallery, City College, Santa Barbara, CA, 1990
Westmont College, Montecito, CA, 1990
PUBLICATIONS:
2009 Art News
2007 American Art Collector
2006 American Art Collector
2000 Focus Santa Fe
1998 Focus Santa Fe
1997 Pasatiempo
COLLECTIONS:
La Posada Resort Hotel, SFe, NM
George Michael, London, England
Midwest Wireless Corp, Minneapolis, MN
Hutchinson Telecommunication, Minneapolis, MN
Awards and Honors
Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, First place award |
Westmont College, First place award
Santa Monica Museum, Top Ten Artists of So. California
Purdue University, Southwestern Women Artists Award
ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY:
Christina Chalmers is a contemplative artist who works through a process of intimate painted layers to arrive at universal truths. Chalmers has long been fascinated by the interrelationship of geometry, nature and the human condition. Her paintings are ruminations in beeswax, pigment, metal and other materials on panel or canvas.
The use of beeswax speaks to her interest in transformation, and she has stated, “The wax is used not only because of its physical qualities but also because of its special place in nature, having been transformed from the pollen of flowers through the body of the bee into wax.”
Chalmers’ life has been a similar quest for transformation; she studied at the University of Iowa, and received her MA from the Rudolf Steiner College. In 1990, Chalmers began to paint in a studio on the top floor of a Franciscan monastery in Santa Barbara, California. Since this time, her work has been undeniably steeped in questions of natural elements and divinity and their translation through paint.
The viewer has the impression that they are being presented with a puzzle upon looking at her work. Through closer inspection the layers that have gone into the composition fall away and come back together in new configurations. Chalmers mixes a feeling of the ancient with the contemporary mixed media, incorporating found objects and dimensional elements into her multi-layered pieces.
Chalmers explores the unseen through visual art. Fibonacci number sequences, natural elements, archetypes and symbolism speak to the cloaking and revealing of the inner self. She allows the viewer to draw their own conclusions regarding nature, beauty, the divine and the human from each unique composition.
Chalmers works between Santa Fe and France, where her research continues into the life of Hildegard Von Bingen, St. Francis, Virgil, St. Augustine and sacred geometry.
