Christy Powell is the artist and aromatherapist behind Christy Art & Aroma, creating linocut prints and other handmade and hand-printed products including scented pillows and cushions. She was first introduced to printmaking whilst attaining her Fine Arts degree from Florida State University where she focused on Graphic Design. Twelve years later, whilst working as a freelance graphic designer and sketch tutor, Christy found an irresistible urge to get back to printmaking. Soon after, she moved to the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia with her family, and happily nestled into her little home studio, pursuing wholeheartedly all that is linocut printmaking.
Christy’s body of work is ever evolving, not following any set theme. However, her unique style and choice of colours make her work distinct and recognisable. A series of prints following a fantasy-land theme, was born one breezy afternoon while sipping tea in her studio, from a favourite Blue Willow China teacup. The blue imaginary landscapes that ensued, with floating boats, flying dragons and blossoming trees, have become popular with those that wish to purchase a piece of of her work.
Many of her prints depict animals and the flora and fauna that form her natural surroundings. Christy often finds inspiration for a new body of work while ambling through the nearby bushland with her dog. Her most recent print of a kelp sea forest, depicting an octopus and a large humpback whale, was inspired by her passion for the preservation of the natural environment, and a special fondness for the ocean. Along with the recent Netflix documentary, My Octopus Teacher, which deeply moved her, Christy was compelled to attempt this print with meticulous attention to detail. Using the finest cutting tools to hand (Pfeil and Flexcut micro tools), she also experimented with delicate markings using a Hangi-To Japanese woodcut knife, thus demonstrating that she is always ready to evolve and experiment with the process of linocut printmaking.
“The time spent cutting a block is long and slow going, well for me it is, and I love that because it suits my temperament. It’s meditative and when I look back at previous blocks, I can tell you the thoughts I was thinking, or audio book, or music I was listening to. It’s like weaving a personal diary of thoughts that you can come back to whenever you want.”
www.christyartandaroma.com.au
@christyartandaroma
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