Christine Ross (b. 1986, Barrington, IL) is an artist based in northern Illinois. Building on the traditions of impressionism, her paintings use unrefined, bold shapes and movement. Mixing ink and textures edge on abstract expressionism as she explores her experiences and relationships in the natural world. Her watercolor drawings, contrastingly, are light and delicate. Both look to balance white space and color in landscapes and life.
Ross adds layers upon layers of different mediums: house paint, water mixable oils, ink - to create a dynamic canvas. Spreading with cotton cloths in addition to brush and dripped ink create texture and movement. It is a reductive and selective process to work within the layers of paint and determine which elements will be rich, smooth and others that will be rough, lively. Scraping thick layers has the potential to unearth beautiful colors underneath, but also threatens the composition and existing beauty.
Her paintings, are meant to challenge this ever present human decision: Is the potential benefit worth the cost? Am I content? Is discovering something new worth disrupting what is already lovely?
Biography
Family has been, and continues to be, Ross’s heaviest influence. The arts were a priority. Her maternal grandmother, a librarian, and her mother, a teacher, planned family outings at art museums. Her maternal grandfather, a civil engineer, architect and naturalist. Her paternal grandfather learned lithography printing in the Navy and grew a business with her grandmother, a fervent knitter and accountant; a business that her father, aunts, brothers and cousins still continue. From a young age, she was taught to carefully observe and celebrate the beautiful details of life.
The midwest was an excellent jump off point for family travel. Her aunts lived in Wyoming and Colorado; and, as a competitive figure skater, she trained in the summers in Lake Arrowhead, Colorado Springs, and Lake Placid. Clean ice lines, trees, mountains, all influence her aesthetic.
After her business degree at the University of Michigan, Ross moved to Chicago. While working as an enterprise software consultant, she was also a transfer student at SAIC, studied garden design at the Chicago Botanic Garden Regenstein School, and ultimately earned her Masters in Art Education and Design through NIU. While teaching in CPS, friends' requests for art gained traction, and her name was passed from family to family and the EVR PAPER brand began.
Founded in 2015, Ross is the artist behind the EVR PAPER brand. Her work has been featured in Vogue, highlighting her Vail, Colorado inspired wedding stationery suite; as well as, Martha Stewart and Town & Country.
With EVR PAPER projects, she works with her brother, Thomas, at a family owned commercial printing company. Experts in the printing industry for over fifty years, Bell Litho's team helps deliver a professional and quality product.
Education
2014 - M.S. Art and Design Education, Graduate Teaching Assistant: Technology in Arts Education
2012 - Chicago Cultural Center Adult Watercolor Co-Instructor
2010 - Chicago Botanic Garden Regenstein School, Master Gardener, Garden Design
2009 - School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Post-Baccalaureate Transfer Student
2008 - Stephen M. Ross School of Business, Bachelor of Business Administration, emphasis in Strategy and Marketing, University of Michigan
Studio
Prairie Grove, Illinois
Exhibitions & Publications
2020
Floor to Ceiling Windows.. - MarthaStewart.com
2018
..Breathtaking Views of Colorado - Vogue.com
2015
Inspired Art 2015 - America SCORES, Chicago, Illinois
2014
Now You See It Now You Don’t - Flat Iron Art Gallery, Chicago, Illinois