Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Keith.
Christina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Of course! I’ve loved engaging in making art for as long as I can remember. I’ve always found the act of creating to be both challenging and rewarding – it’s a process that has constantly been capable of holding my attention for long periods of time and something that I was always itching to return to whenever I was doing something else. I really fell in love with drawing, painting, and ceramics when I entered high school and was fortunate to have wonderful art teachers who encouraged my interests in art education. I pursued undergraduate degrees in Studio Art and K-12 Education and soon after began my career as a high school art teacher, which I am happy to still be at ten years later.
For the first few years within this field, I really focused on developing as many classroom-specific skills as possible. During this time, I enjoyed marking my own artwork when it applied to my job – for classroom demos and for project examples, but missed the studio practice I had put on pause to pursue teaching. Once I finished my graduate degree, I made it a goal to connect with my local arts community and intentionally carve out more time to create work and explore new processes.
From there, I signed up for regional art crawls and connected with a local store owner who featured my paintings and prints in her space. These experiences helped me build confidence and relationships with other artists while allowing me to receive feedback from the public. Since then, my business has expanded pretty organically, with a few big “game changers” along the way. The most influential, personal step I’ve taken that’s helped me expand my practice is building a separate, designated studio work space. This decision came after a lot of saving, talking, and planning. (And after a long, cold winter of throwing and firing ceramics in my unheated garage, as well as taking over nearly all of the living space in my home with my messy, mixed media painting process.) My husband is a shop teacher and avid maker/home remodeler, so it made sense for us to build a joint space to continue creating. Finishing our shop/studio has been our joint passion project for the last several years. Having the extra space has allowed me to take on larger projects and has increased my level of motivation and ability to set long-term, art-related goals.
In 2019, I was selected to attend a two-week painting residency, sponsored and hosted by The Golden Foundation in New Berlin, New York. My time there was filled with workshops on how to use a myriad of different painting mediums and engage in experimental processes. This opportunity connected me with other teaching artists and a community of creatives who are fierce advocates for art education. I’m so grateful for The Golden Foundation’s generosity – the relationships I built there are just as valuable as the skills and enthusiasm I was able to take back to my studio and to my classroom. The most recent turning point in my art career has been building relationships with some really fantastic art galleries. Beginning in 2020, I’ve collaborated with the Portsmouth-based gallery Nahcotta to produce work for two group shows and two solo shows. Everything about working with them has been encouraging and professional. When they first contacted me and I looked through their represented artists, I couldn’t believe that I was going to have the chance to show among people I had admired and followed for years. I’m thankful that Nahcotta took a chance on supporting me as an emerging artist and I’m looking forward to sending them my newest collection of work that they’ll release in April 2022.
Throughout the last several years, I’m immensely grateful to have been surrounded by so many supportive and encouraging people. From my family who has helped me package work for art fairs and spent many a weekend working with me to finish my studio space, to coworkers and friends who patronize my business and spread my name to others, it really does take a village. The best thing about my artistic journey is that it has put me in touch with some of the most impressive, innovative people. I’m excited to see where it leads me next.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I feel like, for every step forward I make, there’s always a decent amount of “trial and error” behind the scenes. I appreciate working as an artist, as it’s provided me with opportunities to engage in a lot of creative problem solving. If there’s one thing that was immediately, glaringly obvious to me, it was that I don’t have a background in business like I do in art making and teaching. To compensate, I’ve been taking advantage of resources like Springboard for the Arts’ “Work of Art” classes, which teaches business, marketing, and bookkeeping skills to working artists. (For anyone in a similar position, I can’t recommend these classes enough!) I also reach out to other artists to discuss practices that work well for them. Coming from an educational background, I enjoy sharing advice with others and always appreciate it when they are willing to do the same.
Another challenge I face is developing realistic, growth-oriented art and business goals when I’m already working a full time job. I find that, if I am not careful, I unintentionally take on too much and leave little time for anything outside of my work. In the past, my art business offerings have been broad and have included custom commissions, group classes, gallery shows, art crawls and fairs, collaborative projects, and the production and sales of pottery, prints, and paintings. While I enjoy engaging in of all of these, moving forward I know I need to reflect and think about which aspects most sustainably and successfully fit within my life.
I know I’m probably stating the obvious here, but the last two years have greatly changed how I approach aspects of my art and business. The pandemic has reminded me to not assume that situations are “constant”. (My 2020 projections looked vastly different from how my year actually panned out, but upon reflection, there were still plenty of positives.) With a sudden lack of in-person art crawls and group teaching opportunities, I found myself really leaning into relationships with galleries, custom commission clients, and art consulting agencies. I had more time to decisively focus on the level of detail within my artwork and to explore new materials and skills in a lower-risk environment. While I am hoping the future brings lots of safe, in-person art events, I know now that as a teacher and an artist that I have the capability to adjust.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist and teacher who focuses on creating mixed media paintings and small batch, hand-thrown pottery. An enduring theme within my paintings is the relationship that exists between physical location, memory, and identity. I explore this by pairing hand-painted, location-specific imagery with historic documents, such as maps and charts, to develop a multifaceted sense of place. I begin each painting by building a digital “mockup” in Photoshop where I combine multiple photos and documents together. I use a gel medium transfer process to incorporate the printed imagery into the middle ground of my paintings. (I often describe it as a sandwich – layers of painted background followed transferred imagery, finished with more layers of painted details the foreground of the painting.)
I believe that the mixed media transfer process that I’ve developed and refined is what I’m most recognized for, and is the most unique aspect of my work. I really enjoy when my paintings remind people of their connection to a specific location, and my process often leads to custom commission requests. I really enjoy working with clients to help them develop paintings that represent their special places and memories. (One of my recent favorites included a series of two paintings that combined multiple images along with over 10 plat maps and scanned/photographed certificates.)
On the subject of custom work, I take pride in the way I collaborate and communicate with others throughout the custom commission process. It’s always an honor to learn people’s stories and histories through developing a painting with them. I always do my best to intentionally listen to whoever I’m working with so that I can create a one-of-a-kind piece that reflects their vision. To switch gears a little bit, I am also greatly looking forward to my next solo show, which opens April 1st at Nahcotta Gallery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I pushed myself to create the most detailed, polished work possible and I’m grateful for what I’ve learned throughout the process and for the opportunity.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
When left to my own accord, I’m a consistent, “play it safe” type of person. Within my role as a high school art teacher, I am routinely encouraging students to put themselves and their work in front of a variety of audiences. “Apply for that show. Put your name in the hat for a scholarship opportunity. Submit your application for your “reach” school or job.” It may hurt for a little while if you aren’t recognized for something that you’ve had your hopes up about, but you’ll be okay and most likely learn from it. Let setbacks motivate you to really “put in your all” to the next enticing opportunity that comes your way. I believe that the art world is a “big tent” type of community, and if you don’t find success at first, it doesn’t mean that no one will resonate with your work – you just need to keep trying to find the “right” audience. Currently, I’m working on applying the advice I dole out on the daily to young adults within my own life and art practice. When communicating with others, whether they be clients, galleries, or third party organizations that I’m interested in working with, I try to put my best foot forward and intentionally reflect on the outcome, whether or not it ends up being the one I wanted. If I had to estimate, I believe that the results of my personal “reaches” are about 50/50 in my favor. Yes, there’s some rejection there, but much more importantly, learning to “put myself out there” has resulted in some positively life-changing artistic experiences and connections.
Pricing:
- Signed Prints, beginning at $25.00
- Handthrown and Glazed Pottery, beginning at $35.00
- “Studies and Small Works” Paintings, beginning at $150.00
- Custom Mixed Media Paintings, beginning at $350.00
- Single Session Painting Workshops, beginning at $45.00/person
Contact Info:
- Email: christina.d.keith@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.christinakeithstudios.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christina_keith_studios/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaKeithStudios/
Image Credits
Bethany Jackson Photography
Pert Near Sandstone
