The Start
THE START…
The start was a mountain range, always in the distance, as I played with my siblings in the front yard of our rented house on a small apple orchard, full of our drifting wooly sheep. I could see the mountains in the distance, always present, though far away, full of mystery and begging to be explored. The feeling I had then, which I can only describe now, was one of wonder and comfort in one. I think that was my first experience with seemingly conflicting emotions that thrive in harmony, side by side. It was my first glimpse of the Wild of Life.
Moving to a new and still decidedly rural place, another mountain range greeted me. This range was accompanied by a vast valley floor full of light and shadow. Here, the highs and lows of life presented themselves every day in every changing way. My eyes grew to know and love the changing light on the mountains as they greeted me in the morning and tucked me in at night. I explored these mountains in a new way, simply stepping off the trail and walking for miles with no destination in mind. I often spoke to those mountains, like a friend, and, in lonely moments, they gave me comfort through their stoic presence. “Life goes on” was the reply I received.
I chose to stay in-state for college to study Art in Montana – the first meaningful decision of my adult life. With tentative steps and alongside new friends, I explored a new range in a new way. This range was ENDLESS and all around me – a world of possibilities stretching as far as the horizon. These mountains whispered “adventure” in my ear and called me home to them. As I grew to love my partner (of, now, 15 years) my love for the mountains grew with me. The Wild now lived in my heart and each step brought it further and further into my veins. THIS was Home.
Another move sent me to a new set of mountains, which, at first, I called molehills. I didn’t understand the depth of time and glacial ice that had worn these mountains down to rounded mounds of distilled knowledge. I didn’t yet know how the light would play flirtatiously across the hillsides in the evenings, how storms would caress their very edges, how their quiet knowledge would soften my steep edges along the trail. I have come to love these mountains in a way that I wasn’t able to see at the start. Like a soft fog that settles into the valley floor along the riverbanks, my love for this place came over me in a fine mist, clinging to my skin, filling my lungs, and lighting my heart with bird songs.
It was here, in that older range, that my business, Alpine Line Art, got its start. However, the images, the artwork, the mountains of my heart have been with me all along, since before I could walk. In this way, my work in art is a continuation of an old story. I often wonder…what’s over that ridge? What’s around the next bend? Where does that creek flow? It’s the wonder and curiosity, the joy of adventure, the comfort of stillness, the questioning, the learning, a single moment connected to all those that came before, these mountains that stand stoic through time….this is the heart of my work, the start of it all, the end, the beginning, and a continuation of an old song sung by hundreds of hearts in hundreds of places, unique and the same.
I’m looking forward to sharing a little more about my path, the signposts and tools I’ve found along the way, and the thoughts and feelings behind my work. I hope you’ll enjoy following along!
— Christina
