Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Akerson
Hi Christina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My journey in art began in high school. I only realize now after many decades, that I’ve always had the same artistic vision. I think Agnes Martin said it best when she said that in realistic painting, one paints what they see with their eyes, but what I paint is eternal in the mind. Abstractions hinging on the verge of being non objective has fascinated me since I can remember. Having a point of view really matters—ideas matter.
Today, 30 years later, after a profession in the performing arts of opera and acting, I’ve come back to my roots in the visual arts to work with my hands. I’ve placed importance on feelings of nostalgia and recalls of memory by working with painted color fields and collaged papers, the mediums that help me bring an image into reality.
I’m fortunate to exhibit seasonally at The Other Art Fair in Santa Monica at the Barker Hangar. The upcoming show on September 26-29, 2024 will feature my latest series, which explores collaged papers and 3 dimensional textures created by paint and stucco. I’m excited to show the work that is a culmination of the ideas of my past mixed with the ideas of today.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think that any person’s road to a fulfilling artistic career is going to be ripe with challenges. The most essential ingredients for making art include having the time to dedicate oneself, and having the space that allows the process to go undisturbed. These two valuable things, time and space, need to be protected. Life can throw a lot of curveballs. I’ve had a lapse of 25 years where art did not materialize from my hands. Even now as I am consistently creating on a daily basis, there are setbacks due to travel or illness. It makes my return to the art studio feel as necessary as breathing.
The other struggle I’ve experienced is acting swiftly enough when the right idea comes along. If you lead a creative life it’s like standing in the middle of the rain. Each drop that hits you is like an idea that fell from high above. The ideas come more frequently this way, but will evaporate if left too long. In my experience, when stepping outside of this creative microclimate, good ideas become fewer until they don’t come at all. I’m sure a lot of artists can relate to the dreaded drought.
I am a Permanent Artist at Quorum Gallery in Laguna Beach, which is on Historic Gallery Row and has been in business for close to 60 years. My work can also be found at The Hangar, a gallery in Santa Monica, and a refreshing way to see large original paintings displayed alongside contemporary furniture interiors. And, about twice a year, I exhibit at The Other Art Fair in Santa Monica. The atmosphere is lively with wild art installs, performance art works, and about 120 artists under one roof for a festival feeling that celebrates a global creative mindset.
I’ve been very honored to receive The Best in Show award at the Sunset Beach Art Festival for 2 years in a row, as it’s just reached its 50th year anniversary, and was recently listed as one of the “Best of Fair” by the Global Director of The Other Art Fair in 2024.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work explores an idea of how society inhabits abstract spaces. On a cradled panel of birch wood or canvas, figures of crowds are carved into color fields of space that evoke the light and time of day, or geometric shapes of architecture. The material includes layers of collage (printed images from magazines and advertisements) paint, oil sticks, charcoal and drawing utensils, gold foil, and stucco.
The process of this new series has evolved as I’ve experimented with certain materials. Paint on paper for instance has a completely different look than paint on stucco. I want to give my toy box of materials a wide range, so that I always feel like I’m playing around. There’s nothing more joyful than the moment of discovery, when I’ve stumbled upon something spontaneously and it is the exactly the right thing at the right time. Once I find a way to recreate it, the gesture becomes a part of the language that I speak throughout all of my paintings. Those are the moments of growth that keep me grounded in the chaos of the creative process.
My art studio is centered in the middle of my home in Huntington Beach. I can hear and feel all of the hustle and bustle of my family (3 energetic daughters, a devoted husband, and a 57 pound puppy). To MOST artists, this might be too distracting—and I’m not gonna sugar coat it, it feels like I’m trying to hear whispers in my head while standing in the middle of Times Square, but that energy works for me. I’ve managed to incorporate life and all its distractions into my practice.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Having grown up in Monterey County, I’ve lived in Los Angeles, New York City, San Jose, Albuquerque over the years and now Huntington Beach in Orange County. What I love about Los Angeles is its ability to attract the most talented artists from around the world who call it home. It’s a gathering place of the Gifted.
Unfortunately, many of the most affluent places in the world started out as artist communities, but due to being overtaken and pushed out by a radical rise in real estate, the communities were pushed out. Artists are resourceful, though. Out of need, they find each other over again as they teach, guide, and mentor their peers. Artists need other artists.
I’m honored that I received my BA in Music with a full scholarship to UCLA. One of my fondest memories was singing the National Anthem for my graduating class sharing stage with Quincy Jones, who was receiving an Honorary Doctorate. Los Angeles is a life changing kind of city, and gives life changing experiences.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.ChristinaAkerson.com
- Instagram: @xtinakerson
