Chroma417

The 40th anniversary of Artsfest on Walnut Street! Go to the Springfield Regional Arts Council booth to get FREE Chroma stickers and enamel pins!

ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

CHRISTINE RIUTZEL (Beautyfromlight - Art by Christine) IS AN INCREDIBLY TALENTED ARTIST FROM THE BRANSON AREA AND WE ARE SO EXCITED TO WORK WITH HER FOR MURAL #2! YOU CAN LEARN A BIT MORE ABOUT HER BELOW AND MAKE SURE YOU FOLLOW HER ON SOCIAL MEDIA AS WELL!

https://www.instagram.com/beautyfromlight/
https://www.beautyfromlight.com/

Christine's Bio:
I’ve lived in the Ozarks for over 20 years. As a kid, I doodled horses, but didn’t get serious about art until I met my high school art teacher. She truly changed my life. But after high school, I went through a period of trauma and quit making art. After putting myself back together, I started creating consistently again. I wanted to learn but art school wasn’t affordable for me – so I taught myself with YouTube and online courses. In the past few years, I've had several fine art exhibitions and for a while I thought gallery life was the only way I could make it as a professional artist. Then I stumbled across mural work and fell in love. My most well-known mural is a 300-ft-long mural at SkateWorld in Branson, Missouri. I found that murals were the way I could be a full-time artist. I now mentor young artists and encourage them that pursuing art full time is possible.

I serve on the nonprofit board of Southern Missouri Arts Connection (SMAC). Set on historic Downing Street in Hollister, I work out of my studio in the back while managing the gallery. Through SMAC, I work with others to transform our tourist town into a vibrant place where the visual arts and artists can thrive. Opportunities to create Public art are beginning to open up for me and for other artists in the area. I hope to show businesses that murals can be a more effective and affordable way to advertise than costly billboards.

In 2019, I partnered with The Branson Parks & Recreation department to organize a group of artists to beautify a wall at Murphy Park in Branson. The community and the regional press whole-heartedly approved. The experience has been a great encouragement to artists involved in the project.

My art has evolved into a state of maturity and confidence. I use to paint pieces that I thought people wanted, especially in my hometown which is mostly traditional. In fear that if I painted something that came from the heart it wouldn’t be approved of. Most of the time I create because I just want to make something cool. My thought is that art doesn’t have to be complicated. You don’t have to gifted or be born with the talent to draw and paint. You don’t have to be smart. Your subject matter doesn’t have to be deep. By simply creating something, you’re adding positive energy to this world. Artistic talent is simply a passion one pursues.