Artist of the Month December 2011

Chirsty J. Cairns

Kelvedon, Essex.UK

Born in 1971 in Braintree, Essex, Chirsty J Cairns spent her childhood split between London and the countryside of East Anglia. From the age of 15 she worked on commissioned works, ranging from oils to pencil sketches. In 1996 Chirsty graduated with a History BA (hons) and went into publishing. Since 1996 Chirsty has created artwork for publications, advertisements, online media and scientific visualisations. In 2003 she shifted career direction working as a 3D scientific modeler and it was only in 2010 that Chirsty combined her two skills of painting and 3D modeling and started work as a fine art artist. Her first solo art show took place in May 2011 at Prested Hall, followed closely by the Braintree District Open Art Exhibition in June 2011, where she won ‘Highly Commended’ for two of her three works submitted. In November of this year she saw over 17 pieces of her work exhibited in Thirteen Brushes Gallery.

How and when did you start creating art?

I first picked up the paint brush when I was 10 years old, my mother also painted and there were old paints and brushes discarded here and there. At first I painted on old wooden boards and pieces of plastic, painting portraits, seascapes and historic events.

What media and genres do you work in?

I work purely in digital format using a digital tablet for painting and 3D modeling in the genre of real surrealism.

Who or what are your influences?

I have a number of fundamental influences, Rene Magritte because of his symbolism and simplistic forms, Salvador Dali for his surreal imagination and his monopoly on palatable oddity, and finally Caravaggio for his richness and use of light and shadows.

I wanted to share the feeling of the warmth, the contented exhaustion and the security you feel as a child, after having a busy day playing in summer. When you are just drifting off to sleep and the patterns on the wallpaper and the objects merge into a dreamlike state of consciousness. This piece was inspired by my childhood memories of happy summers spent with my grandparents, where their 1970s wallpaper and paintings always appeared to move the longer you stared at them before sleep. The ‘Balloons’ aim is to emote the same feelings from its adult audience, taking them on a journey back to a wondrous time full of imagination and carefree sleep.

Describe your creative process?

A spark is the most simplistic manner in which I can describe my creative process. An idea just springs into my mind. From this I then sketch out the idea on rough pieces of paper scattered here and there. I then build what I have in my mind in 3D, setting up the lighting according to how I envision it. From this point the image in my mind and 3D tend to merge and slowly the piece evolves. Once I have started painting the 3D objects in the piece, the process becomes very fluid with new ideas constantly pushing to the fore until I end up with not one piece but a number of them, all in the same theme. I complete my work with more digital tablet painting and the building up of layers.

What are you working on currently?

I am currently working on three pieces ‘Blue Balloon’, ’Red Balloon’ and ‘Orange Balloon’. Progressing from the three pieces ‘See no’, ‘Speak no’ and ‘Hear no’, each of these new works will be of a full length female in brilliant colours, concentrating on the use of light and shadow, on colour and minimalism.

What are your near/long term goals as an artist?

In the short term my goal is to finalize the arrangements of a discussion panel of cross discipline academics to discuss some of my more symbolic pieces in the Netherlands in 2012. My long term goal is to establish myself and my work to such an extent that I would be free to research the application of iconography through the centuries and apply it to my work.

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

Where can people view/purchase your work (gallery, website, etc)?

www.ccairnsassoc.co.uk