Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina White-Jones.
Cristina, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born in Austin and grew up in Dripping Springs. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always felt that need to create and was lucky enough to have amazing parents that supported that need. My mom owned a gallery in Dripping, so I was constantly around artists and my earliest memories of painting started there. My mom had a huge table that she used for framing, and I had a little space set up under the table that I would sit underpainting and creating. When I was 11, I fell and broke my right hip and had many complications from the surgery. Since that initial surgery in 1991, I’ve had over 30 surgeries just on my right hip and leg. I was obviously laid up a lot and sometimes not able to do a whole lot, so art was always my outlet to kind of get through the harder times; I’m really not sure how I would’ve gotten through it all without it. In 2003, I graduated from Texas State University with a BFA in painting, and worked a lot to get my work out and seen right after college, but had to have more surgeries, which led to more complications and then eventually kids and other family and health things slowed down my creating, but I never stopped creating and never gave up on my goals, and have since become a full-time successful working artist. I live here in Buda, with my husband and 12 years old twins. I have a studio here ( Studio 303) where I work out of and also teach art classes to all ages.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it’s definitely not been a smooth road. When I was 11, I fell and broke my right hip and had many complications from the surgery. Since that initial surgery in 1991, I’ve had over 30 surgeries just on my right hip and leg, six of those were total hip replacements. I’ve had chronic pain since age 11. In college after one of the hip replacements, I suffered nerve damage in the lower part of my right leg and lost a lot of the function of it. Even through all of this though, I worked through it and did what needed to be done. Quitting was never an option for me, and my art is what’s gotten me through all of it, particularly in these later years. I’m lucky to also come from a very stubborn, strong-willed family, and we tend to always look to the positive side of things, this is how I get through most of my days. No matter how bad the pain is, things could always be worse, so we have to learn to displace that pain, work through it and turn it into something more constructive and in my case hopefully something beautiful.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a primarily a contemporary mixed media abstract expressionist. My paintings have a great deal of movement, color and texture to them. I think my colors and textures are what set me apart from others. I love to recycle and repurpose various materials and see what I can do with them. I like to think that the texture in my work represents all the “bumps and bruises” I’ve had to overcome to get to where I am today.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I think my stubborn unwillingness to quit or give up ( and trust me there’s been plenty of times I’ve wanted to) is what has gotten me to where I am today.
Pricing:
- $105-$3500 depends on size
Contact Info:
- Email: ctwhitejones@gmail.com
- Website: www.cristinawhitejones.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ctwhiteartist
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ctwhiteartist
Image Credits:
Personal photo – Queenfriday Photography. All the others were done by me
