CHRISTINA GRACHEK | artist

Painting outdoors: comparing backyard landscapes

May 27, 2019
1 min

Painting outdoors: comparing backyard landscapes

Very soon I will be heading to Rome to attend a two-week “Painting Rome” plein air workshop and over the last several weeks I’ve been outdoors preparing for such an epic trip. In my prior post mentioned I’d be continuing outdoor painting with my U.go mini palette in my backyard. I decided my old backyard would be a good start. The following images are of my parent’s patio. Lucky me! I grew up there and witnessed the changes the small cement backyard underwent during my growin

Mini vacation: a plein air experience

Apr 10, 2019
1 min

Mini vacation: a plein air experience

Spring time is upon us. Reflecting back a few months, January in Scottsdale gave me a look into what’s to come for us in the PNW weather-wise. Seattle springs are when our lawns look their best and plans for outdoors are on everyone’s plate. Plein air painting has finally taken its hold on me after years of neglect. I’m a “one trick pony” when it comes to the processes of those indoor-only disciplines that give me ultimate satisfaction. One thing at a time, that’s me in a nut

Still Life Workshop with Zoey Frank

Feb 1, 2019
1 min

Still Life Workshop with Zoey Frank

Last Fall, I attended another workshop on Whidbey Island and enjoyed my time with Zoey Frank. As you can tell, I really like it there (on Whidbey). Excited to paint with Zoey, I found her enthusiasm of the contemporary realists refreshing and her teachings were similar to Kimberly Trowbridge. We were enthralled by Zoey’s historic slideshows, the group banter and of course her very own creations. Zoey addressed the emotional side of the still life and different approaches to s

Commissioning art for gift giving, Brothers-themed

Feb 1, 2019
1 min

Commissioning art for gift giving, Brothers-themed

Since my last post it’s been a whirlwind. Our son had a BIG successful surgery. After healing time, I attended a fantastic painting interiors workshop on Whidbey Island. I always enjoy my brief getaways/boot camps that require a ferry ride to Whidbey and corresponding Airbnb stays for three-to-four days. Cary and Sieb Jurriaans of Whidbey Island Fine Arts Studio are great hosts. Kenny Harris was our instructor and I learned how graying things down make for a nice neutral pain

Returning with a new look, website re-launch

Feb 23, 2018
2 min

Returning with a new look, website re-launch

It’s great to be back. Let me bring you up to date and share the most recent highlights of my art practice. Highlight number one: This beautiful website. Teaching artist Mitchell Albala at Gage Academy is also a web designer and has done many websites for Gage faculty. (See his other websites.) Who knew?! I am very pleased with the outcome of my new website. Many thanks to Mitch for his patience and expertise. I am enrolled in Kimberly Trowbridge’s Advanced Seminar and am in

Non-figurative series inspired by Matisse, Hammershøi

Oct 31, 2016
1 min

Non-figurative series inspired by Matisse, Hammershøi

Fall has brought me back to atelier work at Gage South, aggressively going after the figure, but this non-figurative series has held my attention. I spent July and August working on the painted Flicker series. Two of the five in the series were completed toward the end of the inaugural term in the Trowbridge Atelier. Here are some of the new pieces in progress: Back in Feb 2016, Kimberly Trowbridge held a lecture on Henri Matisse and an “open window” image from her slide show

Plenty of firsts: narrative installation at “Best of Gage”

Jul 12, 2016
2 min

Plenty of firsts: narrative installation at “Best of Gage”

My entry in to “Best of Gage” juried competition at Gage Academy of Art made history this year. It’s the first “installation” entry in to the Narrative category. I did not receive an award from BoG juror, Fay Jones, but the winning aspect for me is that it’s up for much longer, versus the short two-weeks during our recent Atelier show. I’ve taken the same nook as before but this time there’s a twist. Flicker redux is interactive with many moving pieces (music too) and still

Group show review: Trowbridge Atelier and Gage Studio Arts Intensive

Apr 18, 2016
1 min

Group show review: Trowbridge Atelier and Gage Studio Arts Intensive

I wanted to share some photos from the group show that opened on Friday, April 15, 2016. Thanks to all who came to see the show and visited with me. The show consists of my own works alongside fellow Trowbridge Atelier classmates, as well as an additional 16 students from the Studio Arts Intensive program at Gage Academy of Art in Seattle. It’s the first of many group Atelier shows to cap off the progress of each program. This is a very strong show (I know, I am biased),

Dreams and memories: synopsis of a new series

Apr 13, 2016
1 min

Dreams and memories: synopsis of a new series

Over the last month-and-a-half, I began a new body of work. Two paintings are completed so far, and more are in the works. This post highlights the two completed paintings. Below are photos of the paintings that begin the Flicker series. Remember, the inspiration of this work was the Flicker collage piece. I decided to keep the narrative going with the timeline and clothes-pinned imagery “flickering” across the canvas. These are so fun to create. My next blog discuss the p

Dream figure symbolizes time and finds place in Flicker collage

Apr 11, 2016
2 min

Dream figure symbolizes time and finds place in Flicker collage

Late last night I returned from a trip to Mexico City! I cannot express how fulfilling this experience was. Luckily, I’m still on CDMX time and can function enough to be here. I’m sure I’ll have more to say on the subject, but for now I want to relay one magnificent thing that was a highlight for me. Referring to Rewards of adhering to strict value scale and perspective and Dream and memories blog posts — both relating to the Flicker piece — I had much to say about the myster

Dream imagery as a source for artmaking

Mar 2, 2016
2 min

Dream imagery as a source for artmaking

As a follow up from another post, Incorporating cartoon imagery into traditional three-dimensional still life, my next piece is an ink value collage. It started off strictly as a study for a potential painting and ended up a serious art piece. It’s a dreamscape. The woman in the foreground is a figure from an intense dream I had. She wore a veil in a low-lit corridor with shiny floors. Other details pertaining to this dream will be withheld for your sake. In my experienc

Incorporating cartoon imagery into traditional 3D still life

Feb 25, 2016
1 min

Incorporating cartoon imagery into traditional 3D still life

When it comes to technique, I am pushing myself to combine what I already know with the ideas that take more effort on my part. My natural sense is to start my sketches by incorporating objects in still life and not-so-much the figure or a landscape. At the beginning stages of an idea, I typically start with objects because it’s what I know. My plan is to study the figure with gusto by taking anatomy classes, figure workshops, and continuing life model time. That aside, I a

Best practices: maintaining a reserve of oil colors

Jan 11, 2016
2 min

Best practices: maintaining a reserve of oil colors

I occasionally buy the same color paint, but different brands. As artists we are in a constant search to find whatever it is to make our paintings the best they can be, so I have become intrigued to try brands that other artists have had success with. Needless to say, I have developed the habit of buying too much paint. I’ll buy paint I need for a class where I’ll only use a dab. That only increases my paint supply. That can be a waste — or at some point, a good thing to have