Who influenced you the most to become an artist? That’s a hard question to answer. Having a creative vision and fostering it into something that can support you, is not the easiest path one can travel. People close to me wondered what I would do with “that”. My Mother was my biggest supporter and although she didn’t exercise her artistic flair, she invariably supported my journey and made sure I was utilizing that gift of artistic intention. She influenced me to always follow my passion in everything I do and be true to who I am.
Currently, I am fortunate enough to have several people in my “flock” who push artistic boundaries and create from the mindset of “what if”. We share our successes while encouraging each other in our own endeavors. These are the people I feel mentor, coach, and influence me into a bolder more confident artist. They hold me accountable to prevail and give me feedback to propel how I approach my work. These are the people that are bold in their artistry. I keep them close. Having said that, if it were not for galleries and associates working within, I would not have the opportunities to contribute and use their platform to engage and inspire audiences. They influence me with critiques and feedback that are so important to my growth. I keep inspiration and feedback in a toolbox to use when needed.
If you could live inside any painting, what painting would it be and why? I think any of Claude Monet’s paintings would be a good place to call home. They are so peaceful and I appreciate his impressionistic style of work. His love for nature and his gardens resonate with me and bring me calm emotions. I love gardens… He loved gardens. .. we could have been friends! I could just camp out on the bridge in “Water Lily Pond”.
Claude Monet’s Water Lilies and the Japanese Bridge, 1897-99
Lynne Sarnoff-Christensen is a Minnesota artist with a focus in pottery. Her work reflects the natural landscape she finds to be rich with color and texture. The simplicity of her ceramic forms allows her applications of surface design to showcase her interpretations of nature. We recently caught up with Lynne to learn more about her creative journey!
Why did you decide to become an artist, and how long have you been creating? The way I see and perceive things chose me. I was always drawing and painting growing up, pointing out my little visual perspectives to anyone who would listen. That passion followed me, as I majored in art and design in college. My concentration was in ceramics. Shortly after graduating, I set up a clay studio in my home and never looked back. I created everything from custom tiles (working with Interior Designers and Architects), dinnerware, sculptural ceramics, and anything that really kept my hands in clay.
I began Encaustic painting nine years ago as a means of pushing me out of an anchored ceramic series I was creating. I became too comfortable and needed a prod, so I chose to take painting workshops. Learning new processes with a medium entirely foreign to me was incredibly freeing. My encaustic paintings and contemporary ceramics reflect each other through their relationship with texture and color.
Freeform Sunset Bowl (8x5”) and Fences (9x7x10”) by Lynne Sarnoff-Christensen, ceramic
Tell us about your creative process. I will say that creating texture is first and foremost the most interesting process to infuse into my art, whether I am working in clay or painting in encaustic. My encaustic process is painting with molten beeswax and Damar resin onto a substrate, such as a Birch cradle. Layers of encaustic medium create the foundation and by integrating encaustic paints, oil paints, photography, pastels…I build up layers of translucency and create depth in each painting. I always begin with an idea of a subject, however often the process will take me in a new direction and I go with it to see where the results will take me. The part of the “what if” mindset comes alive and experimentation prevails.
My ceramic work is all about surface design. I use very simple shapes, either handbuilt or wheel thrown, and begin to build layers of underglaze and colored slips to the clay forms. My process is very loose as I am not trying to achieve perfection but rather approach each piece intuitively. These pieces are then multifired as I continue to add dimension and depth through additional applications of color. I am basically creating a painting with color and texture on clay. This contemporary ceramic series is very much influenced by my paintings. They have become parallel to each other.
Rolling Hills I by Lynne Sarnoff-Christensen, 25 x 25”, encaustic on board (sold)
Rolling Hills II by Lynne Sarnoff-Christensen, 25 x 25”, encaustic on board (sold)
Is there anything else we should know about you or your work? I like to reinvent myself often. I work diligently on a body of artwork and when I have taken it to where I am satisfied, I don’t stay there too long. If I do, I find myself fighting repetition. I work back and forth with my ceramics and painting. The learning and experimentation of each medium contribute to the other, bringing new ideas and results.
I harness my appreciation for the journey and all that goes into a work of art. I feel that if I work within the present moment I am more in touch with each piece instead of creating simply to sell. I live my life through the lens of gratitude. It changes my perspective into positivity and breaks down all barriers and obstacles that try to weave their way into my daily life. It centers me.