ArtsyShark presents the portfolio of Featured Artist Christine Soccio. Visit her website to see more about this artist and her work. She will be exhibiting at a gallery show for Artists United Benefit for Cancer Research at Substance Salon in Lyndhurst, New Jersey on October 6, 2010. Details are available here.
Artist Statement
My acrylic on canvas paintings are a dramatic play on vibrant color and composition. As I select my subjects for portraits, landscapes and still-lifes, I attempt to bring my positive view of the world and subject matter to life. Though expressing my own creative freedom, I hope to draw the viewer into my bright, emotive world and invite them to share in my vision.
What are your goals?
I’m fascinated by where art has taken me in these short few years. Each painting is a journey that leads to another journey of sorts, and so on. I never know where it will take me. Most of the time it’s a complete surprise. My goal would be to never let the ride end – just keep painting and see what’s around the next corner. If I can keep the wonder and the fascination alive, that would be the most satisfying goal for me in my creative life.
What are your working on now?
Right now, I’m working on a series of landscapes from Litchfield County, Connecticut. I’ve been doing some graphic design work for Lime Rock Park (a road racing track), and I wanted to do a painting as a gift for my boss. He has a love affair with the track. So, I did one painting (Lime Rock Park #1) and it spun out from there. The track winds through some breathtaking scenery. I have attempted to convey the movement of driving along at very high speeds while taking in all the wonderful beauty and the fabulous light that seems to dance on the landscape. I’m very grateful to be connected to the track and have access to some amazing inspiration.
What inspires you?
Really great paintings inspire me. Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Monet are all great influences. The style of painting is not as important to me as how the light is represented. Feeling the light as you look at a painting always draws me in. Light tells you everything you need to know about your subject – it’s shape, it’s color, it’s mass and it’s mood. I think it is the great secret in painting.
I love the vibrant brushstrokes in her paintings. So much movement and life!