Through the galaxy of my heart

Artist Bio Kristi Marié was born and raised in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. After completing school, Kristi moved to Cape Town to study and work as a Graphic Designer & amp; Art Director before pursuing her career as a full-time artist. Kristi’s art career was initially focused on selling detailed watercolour paintings of South African wildlife to the tourism industry. However, since 2019, a shift in her personal circumstances has dictated a move away from creating mainstream, popular art to using her work as a space to collect and express her emotions. The theme and use of colour has proved a vital means of working through difficult emotions. Kristi uses different mediums to navigate her feelings; watercolour was one early method of experimentation. She later turned to acrylic to portray the sensation of being underwater and in her oil artworks, Kristi takes a different perspective; playing with texture to demonstrate her progression not only as an artist but also her growth as a person. Textures and inventive use of brushwork and a palette knife are now evident in her work, usually portraying high-rise rock formations or mountains. Rational - about artwork Title of series: Submerge ‘Submerge’ forms part of Thalassophobia, a personal exhibition I presented in 2019 about fear - the introduction to my fear - the fear of the ocean – a metaphor for my life and a subject I keep referencing because it resonates deep within me. I envy it and the things that dwell beneath it. I feel vulnerable and anxious around it and so by painting it I achieve a sense of control and peace over it. We often gain perspective about what lies ahead of us when we take a step back or remove ourselves completely from the situation. That situation for me, the ocean, can be both beautiful and terrifying. It represents my journey of heartbreak, discovery, and loss. With this exhibition, I explored two different mediums, oil paint to create the richness of the deep blue sea from an aerial perspective and the translucent quality of acrylic paint to create the sensation of a current pulling you under. Both mediums create a feeling of being overwhelmed by the darkness and pressure surrounding you. But when we look outward to find the light, we also find the path. Take me to the deep end, I am ready.