Cris Joe

About

Cris Joe is an interdisciplinary artist working in painting, drawing, mixed media, and ceramics. She holds a BA in studio art from Northeastern Illinois University and a K–12 art teaching license. She has taught art to students of all ages and enjoys helping others explore their creativity and discover new ways to express themselves through art.

Artist Statement

I have created art for as long as I can remember; it is an essential part of who I am and how I experience the world. Creating is both a meditative and highly intuitive process for me—a way to explore and communicate thoughts, memories, impressions, experiences, and emotions.  I also love experimenting with different media and techniques.

After earning my BA in studio art in 2006 I stepped away from a sustained art practice to focus on family and other life pursuits. However, I continued to sketch and create. Now I am working to rediscover my artistic voice.

Using observation, photographs, memory, and imagination I create whatever I am thinking about or interested in at the moment, gathering inspiration from daily life, the desert landscape, urban environments, womanhood, motherhood, and the complexity of internal and external human experience. I am also drawn to the interplay of color, organic line, and shape. As a result, my work shifts between the highly figurative or representational and the abstract, and it is constantly evolving.

Since returning to a sustained art practice, I have explored new (to me) media, styles, and subjects, including pet portraiture and ceramics. I am drawn to clay’s limitless possibilities and its blend of function and beauty. In my ceramic work, I pair functional forms with organic shapes from my two-dimensional practice, bringing my painting and drawing experience to the surface decoration. No matter where my artistic journey takes me next, I am excited to continue exploring creative possibilities.