By Angela Romeo
Christine Lamb, who is she and should you care? Christine is an artist who brings a delicate beauty to life. Her work spans the whimsical to the ethereal. But most interesting is that her work seems to embrace the traditions of art of Japanese Woodblock and the Art Nouveau Movement.
Currently making her home in the High Desert, Christine strives to bring beauty through her work. “My parents brought me to the desert in the early 70’s. It was first experience with the freshly washed air, smell of wet creosote and wide-open spaces. It was magical especially to a horse loving, out of place in the city girl,” said Christine. “Many of the new people we met here were artists.” From here Christine explored her gift. “There is a stillness that allows the creativity to flow, that you can’t find in the city. Though it is getting more crowded I still can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
Christine is part of the upcoming Highway 62 Artist Open Studio Tour. The tour covers two weekends in October, October 14 -15 and October 21 –22 2017. Christine will be at Studio #21 and will be open both weekends.
Why is participating in this particular event of interest to her? “The Highway 62 Artist Open Studio Tour are a great way to connect to the artist and the collector,” continued Christine. “At first, it is daunting to open up your home to strangers. But they don’t stay strangers long. This is our fifth year; my artist husband is also part of the tour. We have many repeat friends and make new ones each year.”
“Like all artists we hope to find new homes for the growing collections of our work,” laughed Christine. “But the excited reactions of our new friends reenergize and validate what we do mostly in isolation the rest of the year. Working in a studio is also daunting. Many artists work in solitude with no immediate feedback. The tour gives that ‘feedback.’”
“We are always amazed by the diversity of, not just the participating artists, but the visitors. The only downside to participating in the doing the tours is not being able to go check out other artists’ work!”
But what is that makes Christine unique? “My work – where do I begin? I asked my husband and his responded you are unique. So I asked a friend. She said it is my creativity to take something discarded and turn it into something useful and durable. Another friend likes the organic nature to my drawing, how I made them wearable.”
“The question started a discussion on how all the things I have done. All the work in the last 50 years is connected. Sewing, knitting and crocheting as a small child have expanded throughout my life. Learning to be adaptable, to making changes, is so important. As a work progresses it changes and things do not always go as planned – you know like running out of materials! I continue because I see creativity as fluid.”
There is an innocence and sense of unbridled newness that emanates from the work. The studied studio approach that serves so many artists so well is an anathema to Christine. “I am completely self-taught just by playing with ideas,” she noted. “I don’t have anyone else’s processes or values, just my own instincts. I call everything I do ‘Playing with Creativity.’”
Sometimes running with scissors isn’t wrong.
For more information on Christine Lamb visit www.embellishedlamb.com
For more information on the upcoming Highway 62 Artists Open Studio Tour visit www.hwy62arttours.org
