Biography
Chrissa Star’s largest body of work to date is her figurative drawings with “Angels” as her subject matter with nods to the style of Expressionism, and more directly, Gustav Klimpt, and Egon Schiele. Rendered in soft pastel and charcoal, her drawings are typically long and thin and large in scale. She believes angels walk among us and there is just something about them...Chrissa's unique ways of expressing emotion, conveying mood, and vibrant color choice in her work, is present in all her mediums and demonstrates her influence of expressionism.
Chrissa's is also a photographer and painter, with encaustic (hot wax) as her most recent painting medium. Her encaustic paintings are painted on wood, small to medium in size, and painted in the abstract style.
Chrissa’s former UW-M Professor, Denis Sargent commented on her work: “She relies on an intense intuitive sense of composition, form, and color. Her work is full of challenging contradictions that raise questions of taste, convention, and beauty. There is a raw energy in her work that is striking and engaging."
Seattle's Consolidated Works Executive Director, Matthew Richter, called Chrissa 'an extremely reactive artist'; "her studio is constantly rotating with work that is coming out of her in each moment." Matthew stated Chrissa's work is, "captivating, original, and supremely honest". Adding, "Chrissa's paintings evoke a questioning quality as much as they evoke an understanding. Perhaps they evoke an understanding of the question."
Artist Statement
Painting layers of hot wax on a wood panel excites me in a way no other medium I work with does. Adding a few drops of melted blue wax to a pot of hot green wax is mesmerizing. Mixing shellac and dry pigments give me endless options. And hearing the hiss and click from my blowtorch makes me feel in control of something bigger than myself. (Plus, the sound of the hiss and click it makes when I turn it on is just so cool!) I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art with emphasis on painting and drawing, however, working with encaustic is relatively new to me. Encaustic painting gives me a sense of accomplishment that I don’t share with other mediums I work with. The process is very technical, yet paintings look ethereal and dream-like. Effortless and simple.
I am currently painting two different series in encaustic. The first speaks about addition and subtraction, spatial tension, and color relationships. I tend to do many layers before the piece reveals itself as to what direction I go next. I often include the addition of shellac, which leave beautiful patterns after I burn off the alcohol.
The second series involves circles and a different type of manipulation of the wax. I have a long history of working with circles and this series is a new investigation. When I heat each layer of wax, I move my torch to the music I am listening to which creates an organic flow and keeps me in a reactive state. I will listen to a specific artist or playlist when I know the mood I want spilling into the painting.
Shows
Solo Exhibitions
2012 Solo Exhibition, B&O Espresso, Seattle, WA
2009 Angels and the New Year, 619 Western Building, Seattle, WA
2008 Nature vs Science, Cupcake Royal, Seattle, WA
2007 Dreaming, Victrola, Seattle, WA
2007 Nature and Alchemy, Cafe Verite, Seattle, WA
2007 Secrets..., Spa Noir, Seattle, WA
2007 Hiding..., Joe Bar, Seattle, WA
2006 Girls Taste Better, The Tasting Room, Seattle, WA
2005 Five Girls, Take Two, Salon Zaffra, Seattle, WA
2002 Beautiful Women, Zerene, Seattle, WA
2002 They Walk Among Us, Cafe Vita, Seattle, WA
2001 The Red Room, Chrissa's Wine Bar, Seattle, WA
Group Exhibitions
2018 6x6: Be There, Be Square, Las Laguna Art Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA
2017 Group Exhibition, Local Color, Seattle, WA
2009 Bemis vs 1020 Building, Seattle, WA
2009 Group Exhibition, Local Color, Seattle, WA
2008 Ouch My Eye Gallery, Seattle, WA
2007 Pike Place Market Turns 100, Twilight Artist Collective, Seattle, WA
2007 5th Annual Daley-Watson Art Party, Seattle, WA (Curated by Jess Van Nostrand)
2006 Joe Bar Book Release Party, Joe Bar, Seattle, WA
2005 3rd Annual Daley-Watson Art Party, Seattle, WA (Curated by Jess Van Nostrand)
2005 Swank, Kuhlman, Seattle, WA
2004 Girlie Fun Show, Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA
2004 Mae West Fest, Capitol Hill Arts Center, Seattle, WA
2003 Mae West Fest, Consolidated Works, Seattle, WA
2003 Girlie Fun Show, Consolidated Works, Seattle, WA
2003 Growing Pains, Forgotten Works Gallery, Seattle, WA
2003 Not of This World, Secluded Alley Works, Seattle, WA
2003 Luscious, Pound Gallery, Seattle, WA
2002 30 Canvases in 30 Days, Forgotten Works Gallery, Seattle, WA
Donating Artist
2009 Pratt Fine Art Annual Auction, Seattle, WA
2008 Seattle Men's Chorus & Women's Chorus Annual Auction, Seattle, WA
2006 Artist Trust Annual Benefit Art Auction, Seattle, WA
2004 Artist Trust Annual Benefit Art Auction, Seattle, WA
2002 Pratt Fine Art Annual Auction, Seattle, WA
