Christy DeWitt Artist Statement

Everyone has essential yearnings that direct their pathways through life. For me, the need to create and make art is as instinctual for me as breathing. I can not remember a time that I did not feel the need to capture an image, a color or a pattern by expressing it through my art. My works are not literal reproductions of nature, but my visual interpretations, or translations, of the things I see. My work is personal, part of my soul. 

Like me, my work has many facets to its complexity, therefore I like to express myself through many types of material and techniques. Some of my works are painted, some printed and then painted, and others are created with fabric, thread or rope. I love “found” materials and reusing things in a new and exciting way. Other times I am drawn to precise patterns that ripple across the page and scream for bold colors. My work is a culmination of the many techniques that I have acquired and practiced over time.

Nature is the common thread that ties all of my work together. Even the seasons dictate the forms and styles of work that I use. My natural transfer prints begin their process during the summer when, through my artwork, I document the compositions, patterns and shapes that nature so beautifully creates. I usually create my watercolors during the winter, capturing the change that nature is continually cycling through. These cycles include tides, seasons, weather and the patterns that they conjure. My sculptures, made between seasons and sometimes throughout the year, are created with up-cycled or found goods. They emanate the possibilities that nature may become due to the excess use and disposal of materials. 

Travel and exploration through an array of landscapes and cultures expose me to new visual riches that feed my soul. When I am out of the studio I collect visual inspirations with my camera, or through drawings in my sketchbook. They are a personal visual catalog of things such as objects, places, colors, shapes and patterns that in some way spoke to me. Saved as treasures, these photos and sketchbooks reside on my studio desk, in arms reach, possibly the inspiration for my next composition or color pallet.

As an artist I am always pursuing a new way to interpret the world around me. I want to explore new ways to express the things that drive my creativity and share them with others.

“I don’t like to limit myself to one material or technique. Nature is forever evolving around us and I feel as an artist I need to do the same.” – Christy DeWitt