Christiane Payton
My art helps me understand the world around and within me. I use drawing and painting to work through the way natural objects are put together, and how they relate to their surroundings. Through close observation and numerous layers, I try to build the image from the inside out, regardless of medium. My particular interest is portraits of people in places where they live or work. I find the human animal endlessly complex and enigmatic. To capture the essence of a person as well as their emotions is a challenging task. People are rarely just one thing - we are parents and professionals, friends, siblings and children ourselves. The way we look at the world around us as well as the way we present ourselves to others, reflects our identity. My own struggles with cultural identity throughout my adult life, have made me particularly sensitive to the nuances in how people perceive themselves. Being raised by a German mother in the USA (I learned to speak English when I was five years old) has left me with a deep seated sense of not belonging. I am both German and American and neither. Visual art is the lens through which I examine my own existence and that of other people and things around me.