Entanglements
A portrait captures a single moment in time. It holds not only the physical appearance of the subject in that precise moment but also their essence - energies from within and synergies with surrounding things. Every moment is a unique blending of the real and perceived, the tangible and imagined, the intentional and accidental.
These paintings were created by allowing the moment to unfold. The first layer is a watery acrylic wash which creates its own patterns of light and dark as it spreads across the canvas. As the main subject is layered on top, the base colors create a serendipitous expression of emotion, light, and energy that is only revealed as the painting unfolds.
"Entanglements" includes human and animal portraits, as well as fantasy scenes depicting the interconnectedness between the two. The collection of faces may speak to viewers in many way. Alone, each portrait is a celebration of the individual and a depiction of a solitary human experience. Together, the may serve as a global family portrait. Or perhaps, they may serve as a collective self-portrait; a recognition that each of us shares common threads.
Christina Farrel is a teaching artist and arts education consultant with a professional background in opera and theatre, but the visual arts have always been her joyful source of exploration.
Inspired by the many talented teaching artists she's collaborated with over the years, she approaches artmaking with curiosity and playfulness. She infuses her theatre background into her art by using gesture, objects, perspective, space, and motion to spark a question or story in the mind of the viewer. And just as live theatre is a little different with every performance, Christina is most excited by the surprising discoveries that are made as a work of art is being created.
Christina's artwork has been displayed at Dash Coffee, Redmond Art in the Park, and Hope and Healing Gallery presented by Riverview Center. She received the 2021 Artists' Choice Award at the United Way Time for Art Auction. In july 2022, she proudly partnered with Wellington Heights Community Church to create a community mural at the site of the former Paul Engle Center for the Arts.
In her other creative roles, Christina has performed locally with Revival Theatre Company, Mirrorbox Theatre, Midwest Chorale, and Cedar Rapids Follies. She has also performed with Washington National Opera, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, and Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra. Through her organization, Throughline Arts, she provides arts education consulting for Des Moines Public Schools, Playtime Poppy Children's Theater, Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, Riverside Theatre, Waterloo Community School Distric, and Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre. She is a nationally rostered teaching artist with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts and has led artist trainings, classroom residencies, and teacher professional development across the US, Singapore, India, South Korea, and Mexico.