Artist uses varying styles to depict themes in nature
Yellow Springs artist Christine Klinger is inspired by nature. Some of her paintings in a new series, Approaching Abstraction 2, can be readily identified as such. Others are a reflection of the emotions brought on by natural elements. She’ll be presenting approximately 35 works at Meadowlark Restaurant over the next three months.
“With themes in nature always at its core, my relationship with painting continues to evolve. Sometimes I work in a more abstract, expressionistic style and other times I lean toward impressionism,” Klinger said. “I find it is often the weather, my mood and the various subjects I choose to explore that dictate my work at the moment.”
“Pond 2,” an 18 x 24” oil on yupo paper, is one in a series of works inspired by her studies with Yellow Springs artist Jennifer Rosengarten. The dreamlike fish swimming among the lily pads should evoke a calm, meditative response from the viewer. “Under Sea 1,” on the other hand, is much farther along that continuum to abstraction. The 28 x 28” acrylic/mixed media work is a composite of fish, water and abstract forms.
“This piece was completely intuitive and spontaneous. The only things I knew ahead of time were that I wanted texture and I wanted the feel of being under the sea,” Klinger said.
A smaller 12 x 12” oil painting, “Water Study,” is one of a series of four paintings she designed with a large-scale, future composition in mind. These warmups turned out to be viable stand-alone works. The muted hues of the sky in this
IF YOU GO
“Approaching Abstraction 2” by Christine Klinger Meadowlark Restaurant, 5531 Far Hills Ave. July 11 through Oct. 8
11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday
937-7672346, klingerart.com work pale in contrast to the chaotic energy below. The juxtaposition of angry red spewing from a cool blue background describes a 30” square acrylic/mixed media, “Red Watershed 1.”
“In my abstract work I revel in the spontaneity. Each piece begins as a spark or an idea — something that intrigues or surprises me but can evolve or change directions as I work,” Klinger said. “These concepts come from a place in my subconscious, a place of mystery. I begin to understand my work best when it is finished, when I can look for patterns in theme and style.”
Klinger has a master’s degree in photojournalism from Ohio University, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Antioch College. A published writer/photographer, she has also worked in clay sculpture since 1995. She received a Visual Artist Fellowship from the Montgomery County Arts & Cultural District. She has taught photography and sculpture at colleges and community art centers in Ohio, South Carolina and California.
Inspired by an abstract painter she met in California, Klinger began painting in 2006. She’s worked as gallery coordinator for Rosewood Arts Centre in Kettering, and assistant director of the San Luis Obispo (CA) Arts Center. She owned and operated Springs Gallery in Yellow Springs from 2011 to 2013, and is a Village Artisans cooperative gallery member.