“Leave the Light On” by Jennifer McChristian

Isn’t this a fabulous painting? I love when the toned canvas shows through, seems like it adds light, dimension and interest! Great name, as you can see… someone left the light on. I think this artist has amazing talent and the looseness in her paintings is much appreciated! Check out her website for more images… it was hard to only showcase two… see for yourself!

A blip about Jennifer from her website:

Award winning artist, Jennifer McChristian, was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be an artist. Upon completing high school, McChristian began her art education at Dawson’s College in Montreal, Canada. In 1986, she and her family took permanent residency in California, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Art Degree with Honors from Otis Art Institute in 1990.

McChristian was employed as a full-time animation artist and worked on projects for various animation studios including Disney and Nickelodeon. She has continued her studies under the tutelage of renowned artists Robert Blue, Karl Dempwolf, and Steve Huston. Her inspirations consist of notable artists such as John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, Nicolai Fechin and Cecilia Beaux. McChristian primarily paints in oils and occasionally watercolors. She has an affinity for painting ‘en plein air’ and also enjoys creating studio works using her outdoor sketches as inspiration. “Painting is somewhat of a spiritual experience for me. Although challenging at times, the end result evokes within me a sense of elation, nostalgia and harmony”.

Since 2000, McChristian has devoted herself to painting full-time and actively participates in art events and community building programs. She conducts an ongoing, uninstructed figure drawing workshop twice a week out of her spacious 1200 square foot studio (that she refers to as her ‘sanctuary’) located in the heart of Los Feliz Village, CA. In addition, McChristian teaches private painting lessons once a week. She also finds the time to pursue other artistic interests such as classical ballet. McChristian believes learning is a never-ending process and continues to develop and refine her artistic talent through workshops, research, travel and frequent excursions to museums and galleries.

McChristian recently received an ‘Honorable Mention’ award from Southwest Art’s ‘Artistic Excellence’ competition.  She was also featured in Southwest Art’s October 2009 publication and American Art Collector’s February 2010 issue. She is a founding member of the Plein Air Painters of the West (PAPW) an Associate Member of Oil Painters of America (OPA) and a Signature Member of Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (LPAPA)

Ms. McChristian is currently represented by Segil Fine Art Source in Monrovia, CA,Waterhouse Gallery in Santa Barbara, CA, Abend Gallery in Denver, CO, InSight Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX and Silvana Gallery in Glendale, CA. She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband Ben Fried, and a magically inclined calico cat named Bamboo.

Ok… one more favorite!

“Wellfleet Spirits” by Jennifer McChristian

Who are some of your favorite artists? Catch you back here tomorrow!