Bio

Christy Mullen obtained her BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA. Her exploration into facial expressions began while working on her senior printmaking show. She exhibited several large monotypes of faces contorted into unusual expressions. The interest in the human face naturally led to portraiture and more specifically, children’s portraits. She found that children gave the best uninhibited expressions and so developed a unique way of showcasing four expressions in one portrait. These works were done in watercolor and colored pencil.

In 2000, Christy began to explore encaustic painting. She won best in show for an encaustic self-portrait at Shockoe Bottom Arts Center in Richmond, VA juried by David Freed, chair of VCU’s printmaking department. This led to a solo show of several encaustic portraits of various contemporary artists. While she continues to do portraits, Christy has returned to printmaking by exploring the expressiveness in flowers and plants.

Christy currently lives in Durham with her 16 year-old son, Nick, and their dog, Soleil.

Artist Statement

For the past twenty years, my interest has been using my art to explore human expression. I have been interested in the expressiveness found in the face. The simple movement of a small muscle in our face can evoke different feelings in others depending on how it’s moved. Facial expressions, in this way channel non-verbal communication. A simple look in the eyes or a change in line direction on the canvas in a portrait, affects how we feel. This is universal. Recently, I have searched for expressiveness in nature. By tightly cropping a flower, I create its portrait. It also conveys a mood. I hope to capture the flower’s distinctive emotional quality and convey it to the viewer in a way that resonates our connection to nature.