About The Work

We behold the face of nature bright with gladness. We do not see, or we forget, that the birds singing around us live on insects or seeds, constantly destroying life.
-Charles Darwin

Birds, insects and flora populate the landscape of Christine Cariati's paintings. These are not representational depictions of nature, instead they are creatures of the imagination presented in a stylized theatrical format. These intimate paintings explore the ways in which we re-imagine nature, finding beauty in chaos and wildness.

The viewer glimpses a natural world where birds play the role of messengers and guides presiding over moments of transformation in our human world. The garden paintings explore the balance of natural forms—the interplay of plants, flowers and insects through shape and color.

The intense use of patterns, line work and intricate detail in Christine's paintings reflect her background as a textile designer. The viewer sees the subjects of the work through dense tangles of vines, leaves and thicket. The complex layers of the image hint at the darker dramas behind the comforting, beautiful surface.

Christine works exclusively in gouache on paper. Gouache is a heavy, opaque water- based paint that has a reflective quality. This medium allows her to create a multi-layered, dense and matte finish. The small format of her paintings creates an intimacy with the viewer, they can be held and read like a book.