Citrine

The artist Citrine was born in Kawasaki, Japan, and although she grew up a world away in Los Angeles, California, the richness and exoticism of the Eastern culture lingers in her thoughts. She remembers a special moment from her early childhood when her family still lived in Japan. They attended a traditional summer festival, and Citrine recalls with excitement the spectacle of dazzling fireworks, bright-coloured kimonos and the seemingly endless assortment of beautifully painted masks, delicate hand-designed crafts and children's toys that she saw there on display. That delicacy of design and boldness of colour are also richly apparent in her current work, for which the canvases come alive with large abstracted flowers and vibrant colours worthy of the finest silk kimono. Citrine graduated in California with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration. Since her student days, she draws her inspiration from master illustrator N.C. Wyeth, for his fine draftsmanship and his dramatic and narrative use of colour. She also finds excitement in the work of artist Wayne Thiebaud and delights in his ability to make ordinary objects look extraordinary. She takes pleasure in the whimsy and imagery of children's picture books and can often be found perusing the children's section of any bookstore. When she is not painting, Citrine enjoys what she refers to as an eclectic taste in music, but admits to a `soft spot` for British rock bands. As well as music, the artist finds travel stimulating and a great source of exciting new ideas. Paris is her favorite place to visit, and when asked, she stated without hesitation: `I love the way that the city still looks pretty much like it did in all of the Impressionist paintings from a hundred or so years ago.`