When Christie Younger finally heeded the inner voice urging her to “just paint,” she found her attempts to work in a traditional style restrictive and confining. One day, so frustrated by the process, she put down her brushes and grabbed a cake spatula from the kitchen—and created her first painting using solely that tool.
Silent Serenade, oil and graphite on canvas, 18 x 24"
Since then her work has evolved into a distinctive, almost sculptural, impasto style that that she applies to florals, still lifes, landscapes and abstracts. Her palette knife oils also incorporate traditional brushwork, charcoal and the detractive technique of sgraffito, creating what she calls her “scribbles and scrapes.”
These added elements are meant to reveal the entire creative process, with the originating thought or idea that took the form of a sketch on the canvas peeking through the surface of the finished work.
Peonies in Gold Chinoiserie, oil, gold leaf and graphite on canvas, 36 x 36"
“Somehow I’ve managed to create a style that is recognizable and unlike any other that I’m aware of,” says Younger. “I’ve tried to be very intentional when it comes to using my personal influences to shape my art rather than to borrow too much from another artist’s unique perspective…I do believe that each one of us can take all of our influences and express ourselves in a way that is truly unique, because not one person has experienced life the same way as another. While we may have similar ingredients, we all have different recipes. Being open to letting the expression flow, while staying true to myself, is my goal when I create. Thus I have been able to find my unique artistic voice and the freedom to communicate what I want through my unique perspective.”
Where Time Slows, oil and graphite on canvas, 40 x 30"
Over time, Younger’s focus on the subject of her pieces has shifted to a greater emphasis on process. “I love playing with color and contrasting elements of design such as varying textures and thicknesses, mediums, values, and even taking time to deconstruct and rebuild several times throughout each painting,” the artist elaborates. “I use gestural markings and allow myself to make mistakes, embracing each blemish in order to personify myself in its truest form through my artwork...someone who is imperfect, embracing my scars, wrinkles and imperfections, yet realizing that I am beautiful despite the flaws...just like my paintings.”
Blue Hydrangeas in Blue Glass, oil and graphite on canvas, 48 x 36"
Hydrangeas are one of Younger’s favorite blooms to paint, a subject that she finds both stimulating and challenging. In Blue Hydrangeas in Blue Glass, she’s added another technical challenge she enjoys—painting glass. In Peonies in Gold Chinoiserie, the blooms’ lush petals lend themselves to the impasto style, which Younger has paired with a flatter vase with accents of gold leaf for contrast. Where Time Slows is an example of Younger’s abstract “dot” paintings, in which she explores interactions between color and texture. Silent Serenade is part of Younger’s Lilies and Lotuses series, one of the artist’s favorite bodies of work. “They are my attempt to remind myself and others that beauty can be grown from the dark, muddy depths below. I hope to encourage people to take whatever hardship they’re enduring and have hope for a beautiful future.”
A wide selection of Younger’s representational and abstract works will be on view at Shain Gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina, from February 7 through February 20. —
Shain Gallery 2823 Selwyn Avenue K • Charlotte, NC 28209 (704) 334-7744 • www.shaingallery.com
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