Christine Dawson was born and raised in Iowa and has lived in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Santa Fe, New Mexico and New York City where she currently resides.
Since the 1970’s she has exhibited her art work at various galleries including one person and group exhibitions in Scottsdale, Phoenix and other parts of Arizona, San Francisco, Guadlajara, Mexico, Washington D.C., New Jersey, Connecticutt, New York City and Long Island, New York. Her work is part of various private collections throughout the country.
Public Collections include:
Valley National Bank, Mesa, Arizona
Western Savings, Phoenix, Arizona
First National Bank of Amarillo, Amarillo, Texas
Art in Public Places, Washington State Arts Commission
Museum of Modern Art, Guadalajara, Mexico
There is no current gallery affliliation.
I think of my art as magical theaters where plays of relationships, the enchantment of nature, archetypal concepts and states of consciousness are symbolically staged. In many ways the work is a communication between male and female, spirit and nature, heaven and earth, head and heart, darkness and light, positive and negative; the realm of polarities. This duality operates in each of us and is reflected in the world around us creating everything from dances of attraction to wars of opposition. This leads to an underlying theme in my work which is the Alchemical Wedding, the divine union of the masculine and feminine aspects from which all opposites emanate. This is an inner process that evolves through many stages of awareness. The alchemy of love and light is the divine elixir and cosmic glue that heals and transmutes the antagonizing effects of polarization and makes the two halves whole. When opposites unite in a marriage of co-creation, harmony and balance a portal opens to realms of expanded awareness where beauty, creativity and enlightenment reign.
A great source of inspiration for my art work is drawn from the realm of metaphysics and esoteric teachings which in turn has created an incredible body of art throughout the ages rich in a language of symbols and archetypes. For me this art possesses such beauty and richness that is not only a feast for the eyes but also for the soul. The art of mysticism, alchemy and the tarot has greatly influenced my work. I am also drawn to the vibrant color, style and format of medieval and renaissance art and illuminated manuscripts.
My work is quite labor intensive and it can take 3 to 9 months to finish one piece. I fabricate and do all the wood-carving for the frames myself. Creating this work is my greatest joy and challenge.