Christi Birchfield is an artist from Cleveland, OH and a 2010 MFA grad from Columbia University.
Acidic saturation, soft smudged graphite, crushed organic matter, abrupt folds, tears and abrasions, aggression balanced with delicacy - these are the qualities that lay at the core of Birchfield’s work.
In the first seven images shown you’ll notice the fibrous, grass-like content in Birchfield’s paintings. These are plants or flowers that the artist manipulated and pressed in order to enhance the acidic coloring and texture in her work. Often mixing this organic medium with soft charcoals, gauches and pastels, Birchfield then folds and or tears her works. By combining these destructive actions with otherwise delicately applied mediums, Birchfield creates a bridge between two diverse processes of art.
Birchfields drawings are also quiet and active at the same time. While her drawings may appear hazy and soft from afar, upon closer inspection you may notice burns (as in image 8, 9, 10 titled Bethesda, 2010) and brisk subtractions/erasing of graphite (as in image 11 titled: Wheel of Fortune, 2008, and image 12 titled: Powerback, 2008).
