Artist ‘s Statement

Abstract allows me to convey the essence of intimacy entering into and collaborating with the shapes and color of the work. I’m not forced to study from afar, trying to self-define the image. Even with my figurative works, I feel somehow poised on the edge. It’s the reception that energizes me-the spontaneity of the shapes and colors that seem to welcome to explore. It’s so far removed from my technical works. I like to get as close as I can to the shapes. The shapes and colors seem to shoulder me on a resplendent journey.

Biography

Christine Awad Schmalz, a well-known artist and instructor in Dallas and now newly transplanted to the great Northwest, has been actively painting for the past 16 years. Her colorful works are familiar in local Dallas galleries and fine dining establishments. She specializes in abstract format using mix medium and acrylic on canvas. Her art extends to sculpture, oils, pastels, watercolor, printmaking, and some pencil and pen. Her work has been lauded in a variety of local and regional competitions.

Her art career has encompassed hand-painted original women and children’s clothing design as well as prop creation and illustration work for PBS television’s ‘Barney and Friends’, AT&T television series “ The Fine Art Workshop for Children.”