Gillian Christy at Work
 

About Gillian G Christy


Artist's Statement

Much of my previous work has been focused on my perceptions of home by sculpting things found in or around the home. I respond to these elements with a sense of curiosity, amazement and wonder. Moving east means those landscapes changed, but my fondness for home remains as well as the ongoing internal question of what home means to me, how it can be depicted, and what architectural elements I respond to when I think of home. Therefore, much of my work encompasses these ideas, but has largely been about my personal journey in choosing a path.

Easier Now (2002)


Easier Now (2002), was about routinely traveling back and forth, during a time of transition while admiring the surrounding Mid Western landscapes full of grain bins and water towers.

There Were Two (2004) Monohasset Mill (2004) Messages from Home (2004) In Search of the View (2004) Wind (2004)






This new body of work created in 2004 ("There were Two", "Monohasset Mill", "Messages from Home", "In Search of the View", "Wind" and "The Chimney") are similar in many aesthetic aspects to Easier Now. Though created two years later, upon reflection it remains interchangeable in content because it is also about transition and similarity within many pieces. The different settings are described using memories and feelings: ultimately recreating interesting tableaux from life.

Having left familiar territory for a new, unknown place, I feel I have been on a constant journey discovering "home", while also defining myself as an independent person. In an attempt to express transformation, my perceived daily interactions among others, as well as changes to society, I sculpt architectural elements from the past combining familiar objects remaining acutely aware of the surrounding items in the present. When juxtaposed with organic details usually inspired from nature, the flexibility and intricacies of life are expressed. Intertwining conceptually relative with skewed objects from daily life ultimately makes the work amusing and thought provoking.

Education

  • 2002   Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture Emphasis. Department of Art, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA.
  • 2000   Studied Art for one semester in Florence, Italy. Studio Arts Center International.