I create gritty mixed media human landscapes that engage our collective experience of humanity and empathy. Unlike natural landscapes, human landscapes are made by people. They typically include structures such as housing, industrial buildings, and religious buildings such as churches, temples, and mosques. They often include infrastructure, methods of food production, transportation systems, and more. In my artwork the reflected landscapes are real places currently in use that convey a sense of history and tradition, remaining relevant through a society’s everyday lifestyle.
My style has been greatly influenced by my ancestor’s riveting stories of life during the Depression and by photographers active during the 1930’s including Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans. My family was middle-class but as a child I imagined myself in a John Steinbeck world. Later in life when I began to travel, I recognized that every culture has its stories and histories. In the developing world, this history is still part of daily life.
My body of work contains two series: Landscapes Abroad, inspired by travel in the developing world, and Landscapes Close to Home, inspired by explorations of rural America. The works are layered, combining drawing, painting, and integrated collage resulting in an intriguing look with visual texture. I use humble, everyday materials that complement my subject matter such as brown paper bags, newsprint, and translucent papers. Additional art media includes graphite, ink, colored pencil, wax, and paint.
Exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions
2018 Signs of Life: New Works by Christie Marks. Santa Rosa City Hall Council Chambers, Santa Rosa
2016 Spellbound: Morocco from Photos to Easel. Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA.
2015 Torn Asunder. Rosenblum Cellars, Healdsburg, CA.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2023 The de Young Open 2023, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA.
Salon at the Triton Museum of Art: 2D Competition. Santa Clara, CA.
2022 The Art2Life International Juried Art Exhibition.
Anything Goes, Graton Gallery, Graton, CA.
2021 Go Big or Go Home. JCO’s Art House, Los Gatos, CA.
All About Women. Marin Society of Artists, San Rafael, CA.
Artist Choice. San Francisco Women Artists Gallery (SFWA), San Francisco, CA.
2020 Out of Isolation. Paul Mahder Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.
Darkness and Shadow. O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA.
2019 11th Annual Bay Area Women Artists. O’Hanlon Center for the Arts, Mill Valley, CA.
Memories. San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
Textures and Patterns. San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2018 Graton Gallery Invitational. Graton Gallery, Graton, CA.
Windows to Other Worlds. Art Center Morro Bay, Morro Bay, CA.
2017 International Exhibition of Contemporary Islamic Art, Irving Arts Center, Irving, Texas.
The National Arts Program Exhibition. Santa Rosa, CA.
Mostly Monochrome, Ice House Gallery, Petaluma, CA.
2015 The Left Coast, Marin Society of Artists, Ross, CA., 3rd Place Award.
Peoples, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA.
2014 Play It Again Sam, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, CA.
Publications
2021 Artists of the Bay Area Volume 2. Produced and published by the Jen Tough Gallery, Santa
Fe, New Mexico.
2021 Wild Lands. Produced and published by the Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
2021 Featured Artist, Christie Marks. Virtually published by Artsy Shark.
Residencies
2023 Green Olive Arts Residency, Tetouan, Morocco.
2020 Chalk Hill Artist Residency, Healdsburg, CA.
Open Studios
2016 – 2023 Art Trails, Juried Open Studios, Sonoma County, CA.
Art Fairs
2019 Art Santa Fe. (Guest Artist of the Jen Tough Gallery), Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Galleries
2023 – Present Lori Austin Gallery, Santa Rosa, CA.
2018 – Present Paul Mahder Gallery, Healdsburg, CA.
Community
2014 – 2018 Art in Public Places Committee, City of Santa Rosa, CA.
Education
2001 Bachelor of Arts. California State University Fresno.
