Welcome, and thanks for being here!
My name is Christina Waggoner Marth and I'm an abstract painter currently living and working in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I'm 37, a Capricorn, I love cats, and am pretty weird. Who isn't, right? I love color, bold lines, and have recently come out of a long hiatus from making work since graduating with my BFA in Painting from Central Michigan University in 2016 -- because, life.
My work is, and always will be, driven by my intense need for self-reflection, self-connection, and play. I am an experienced over-thinker and avid adhd-er, so quieting my brain is a life-long marathon that never seems to end. I have always used painting and creating as a way to put a stop gap between the noise.
My process is heavily influenced by the abstract expressionist idea of automatism, or automatic painting. I predominantly use acrylic paint for the sole reason that it forces me to work quickly. It limits my ability to over-dwell on any one area. I choose to work in multiples for the same reason. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes, I get lost and hyper-fixated. Sometimes the compositions are messy, sometimes they are highly controlled. Regardless, each piece gives me a reflection of myself at any given moment in time. They are my mirrors.
There has never been a goal for my work to be interpreted or understood in one way or another. Nothing is planned in advance. However, one thing is consistently true. Once my paintings are away from me, their alliance will always change.
They are no longer my mirrors, but yours.