Artist's Statement

My work always begins with direct observation. I try to distill the essence of what attracted me to the subject into my paintings, while allowing the paint and surface to have their own voice. I am attracted to complex patterning, lush colors, beautiful compositions, and solid draftsmanship. The paintings are from observation, but ultimately, the painting takes on a life of its own, so I take liberties with structure, design, pattern, color, and paint that are separate from the observation. I try to allow room for experimentation and discovery through the whole painting process. Ultimately, the painting has its own language and emotion that represents and feels like that moment in time and place. This method of observing and working makes me hyper-aware of my environment— always looking for the perfect place, season, time, etc., and always aware that these moments, these places in time, are fleeting, and the moment must be seized. Painting is my journal, my exploration, my meditation, my peace of mind. Painting outside is where it all comes to fruition.

Artist's Background

Chris (Christina) Willey has an MFA in Illustration from Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, and a BFA in Drawing/Painting from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE. She is a full-time painter and Professor Emeritus of Art from the University of Central Missouri, where she taught for 22 years. For 13 years, before teaching full-time, she was an illustrator, painter, and graphic designer. Chris has had numerous solo shows and conducted workshops in United States, France, and the Netherlands. Most recently, she taught a pastel workshop in France, and several workshops locally in Kansas City She has acquired signature status in the MidAmerica Pastel Society and the International Society of Acrylic Painters. She has won awards in many juried shows, including 7 international, 9 national, and 29 regional shows. Her art is held in several private and corporate collections in the U.S., Netherlands, and France. Willey is an artist who paints from life. Her work always begins with direct observation, but the endpoint is about making a beautiful painting. She tries to distill the essence of what attracted her to the subject into her paintings, while allowing the paint, the design, and surface to have their own voice.

More information available at ChrisWilley.com.