Christine Aria, a painter from San Francisco, is the November Artist-in-Residence with the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Visual Arts Program.
Aria’s intensive representations of the figure range in size from larger-than-life-size portraits to small paintings on curled scraps and translucent papers.
“Psychological and physiological states of being are the focus of my work,” Aria said. “My paintings specifically center around vulnerability and ‘not-knowing,’ in-between experiences. In making work that often focuses on the feminine form, I celebrate my own vulnerabilities and desires, strengths and weaknesses; speaking from the most honest place that I can.
“Ultimately, through reflecting on the human body, I want to consider how our vulnerabilities and ‘soft spots’ are beautiful and can support our power and agency.”
Aria began her residency at Northwestern on Nov. 1 and is developing a body of work in the Jesse Dunn Art Annex, room 323. A culminating exhibition of the work she creates at Northwestern will be displayed on Friday, Dec. 1, during the December First Friday Art Walk.
View more of Aria’s work at: www.christinearia.com.
For more information on the Artist-in-Residence or Visual Art programs, contact Kyle Larson, assistant professor of art, at (590) 327-8108 or krlarson@nwosu.edu.