EXHIBITION: CJ ILLUSTRATIONS
We are happy to announce that CJ illustrations aka Christina Ashley will be guesting Handshake Studio doing her first ever solo exhibition the 3rd of May. Besides showcasing local creatives and taking part in their creative journey, we find networking with other creatives, both tattooers and non-tattooers, an important and giving part of creating.
Event information can be found on the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1851904264916286/ Christinas work can be found on her instagram: @cj.illustrations
"I guess to be creative means to create something. Thats what I really love. It's very fulfilling to make something and it also calms me down. I'm ecstatic when I have a whole day to just paint and draw to myself" Being creative has always been a huge part of Christina's life, acting, drawing, painting, making cards, but working with watercolours is her favorite way to express herself creatively, at least for now. "My mum showed me what watercolors could do. We started painting together, then I took over her palette and pencil, muhahaha"
Christina works with watercolors and a mix of fine lines and confident thick outlines to create her artwork. The lines are simple, confident and fun, yet serious considering today's climate changes and the impact we have on our environment. The main reason behind her work is quite different though. "Nature and colors makes me happy. I think I'm creating my prints to make others happy. Maybe my prints can also create stories about nature, the universe and travels".
Her artwork is mainly influenced by animals and the nature that surrounds her and there is a very particular reason for that. "Some of my inspiration comes from the many travels and adventures I have been on. Especially my Amazonas print has a special place in my heart. My family and I went to the Amazonas in Brazil in 2016. The nature and the wild animals, I just couldn’t get out of my head. We lived on a floating lodge on the Amazons river for 5 nights. We saw hundreds of birds, monkeys, sloths, snakes, pink river dolphins, piranhas and lots of crocodiles"
Christina grew up in Southern Denmark, but has lived different places like Vancouver and London, but is now living in our wonderful Copenhagen for the second time, working in a nursery and taking care of wonderful children. But going full-time as an artist is not a unfamiliar thought and might not be so distant after all. "I would like to be more brave and try to bring out my work to shops in and around Copenhagen. I have also slowly started to make a new collection of prints, that’s not necessarily for children, but with the same style. I call them planets"
Christina will be showcasing her wonderful artwork the 3rd of May and It will be possible to buy some very limited edition prints. For more information about the event, go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/1851904264916286/