About
At age 14 Christine read Man and His Symbols by C.G. Jung. This book had a powerful influence on her. It was her first encounter with the concept of the unconscious and the meaning of dreams. She became convinced that the unconscious is an underlying driving force in the human psyche.
In 1971, at college, she worked with Richard Pousette-Dart, a member of the NY Abstract Expressionists. His revolutionary approach to art making has fueled her creative process ever since. Richard encouraged his students to let paintings unfold intuitively from the depths of the psyche, to let the painting emerge on its own terms.
As an art therapist, Christine worked at 4 Winds Hospital and, in 2010, founded the Rockland Living Museum at Rockland Psychiatric Center. The Living Museum was an open art studio for individuals with chronic and deep psychiatric issues. During her tenure, she had rich relationships with numerous artists. She saw directly the power of art to help people organize themselves internally, to self-soothe and focus, and to build positive self-regard and confidence. Art was of tremendous benefit to clients’ well-being.
In 2018, Christine had surgery for a broken wrist. She is right-handed and was unable to use her right hand for 4 months. During this time, she did a series of drawings using her left hand. She discovered how using her nondominant hand gave her more direct access to her right brain and emotions. The drawings were subsequently shown at the Hopper House in Nyack.
Currently, Christine is a co-founder of DovetailArts.org. Through Dovetail, she leads and co-leads weekly online workshops that explore innovative and experimental approaches to art and writing. Art and writing intersect and open up new and unexpected channels of self-expression.
Christine is very dedicated to her art. She uses art to explore mental health issues, both personal and universal. For her, art is a channel to her deeper Self. Like dreams, art brings Christine messages of great value.
"My clinical training as an art therapist and work with a wide range of psychiatric clients has deeply informed my art. I witnessed countless “untrained” artists create works of great emotional power and spirit. Observing them work without self-consciousness, I felt a sense of freedom and personal agency for myself. Often, their artistic styles were very stimulating, and I found myself incorporating elements of their work into my own. These artists became my unexpected “muses,” and I credit them with inspiring me and pushing me out of my comfort zone. From a long-view perspective, these drawings represent my navigation of difficult times and inner struggles. Disparate worlds collide, humor and whimsy are an antidote to despair, and the absurd balances reality. I am a voyeur, peering into houses, hospitals, bars, backyards, probing into windows that hold mystery and secrets. Angst is everywhere, and so is love. Between the pandemic, the loss of democracy here and abroad, the violence in Ukraine and Palestine, endless racism, new fascist trends, environmental disaster, and personal internal conflicts, these drawings have given me focus, stability, and sometimes even joy or a laugh. They have provided a cathartic outlet for tumultuous and polarizing emotions and kept me sane in an insane world." - Christine Randolph