“Ancient carvings, weavings, cave drawings, petroglyphs, hieroglyphs, scrolls, arabesques, and calligraphy—these are but a few of the many sources that inspire me. I have been a beachcomber all my life, sifting through the sands of time while marveling at the patterns, symbols, and images that reflect the beauty and cultural gravity embedded in all ancient civilizations.
To achieve the effect I desire in my paintings, I had to invent a special process for building up a surface with innumerable layers of glazes; I mix these glazes myself. It has taken me thousands of hours over the past fifteen years to fully develop my unique method—one that is complex, unforgiving, and temperature sensitive—a private puzzle with a million ways to go wrong. I am constantly refining my technique in the quest for unattainable perfection.
I consider myself to be a symbolist painter in the decorative tradition of Gustav Klimt. I have been described as an alchemist because I work with metals, but I never reveal the secret techniques I use to produce my magical effects. My mentor, a third-generation master British painter, Gilbert Batty, taught me that if the viewer could recognize your process, then you had failed.
The ancient symbols referenced in my work are embedded in our DNA, and this is why we see them as evocative and beautiful. Since childhood I have carried these fragments in distant memories and now they have become my silent prayer to the interconnectedness of all living things”.
Most recently, Skaggs was commissioned to do a 10’ x 4’ painting for a Central Park West apartment in NYC. The artist’s work can also be found on Maui at The Ritz Carlton Kapalua and in the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea; on Hawai’i Island at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai and Hilo Bay Cafe; on Oahu at Kaiser Medical Center, in the Hilton Hawaiian Village, and at Café In-yō and the penthouse suites at Trump International Hotel & Tower; and on Kauai at The Marriott Resort, among other stunning locations worldwide.
Skaggs has lived in upslope Hilo, Hawai’i for the last twenty-five years with her husband a jazz musician – band leader, as well with a big dog, a Siamese cat, two wild turkey’s and a variety of feral chickens in colorations that may never cease to inspire, all who enjoy the occasional cold watermelon.
View works by Christina Skaggs by visiting her page on our online store.
