Portrait Of An Artist
It’s a perfect day by the water as I sit in Havre de Grace with Christina Delzer; looking very ‘Cruel Intentions’ chic in a cute black button up shirt and gold cross necklace around her neck. She has a strawberry tea smoothie in her hand as I sip my mocha frapp (I hadn’t had my daily dose of caffeine yet)
Normally I am relaxed around her cool demeanor, but talking about ones art, she tells me is always personal.
When she showed me the works that she is submitting to Harford Community College’s art show this year, I saw the inspirations she mentioned of Roy Lichtenstein, and the Dutch still life paintings that are guiding her hand as she creates these pieces with an eerie but beautiful melancholy aura of the turn of the 19th century.
Mansion
Like the one to the right, is an installation piece, her most recent work; with the lights and the prints of the skulls the red velvet, you feel like Christina is bringing you back into another time, another century, another feel entirely than modern art portrays. The piece, entitled “Mansion” gives off just that feeling. Like you’re in an abyss of a house with no end to it in sight.
How does that installation make you feel?
Whenever I hear artists creating installation, of course the first thing I always think of is in Sex and the City with Alexander Petrovsky, and I never really knew what they are. But in fact, that is what Christina is leaning towards in doing more installation pieces.
“Installations are like ripping a scene out of a person’s life and making it art” Christina tells me. I ask her if she could pull a scene out of anyone’s life, alive or dead who would it be, even though I have an idea of who she might be thinking of.
“Edgar Allen Poe” she says. The maddest of the mad. But one of the greatest story tellers who could paint a picture with his short stories. Christina’s art reminds me of his stories, they give me the same feelings his words do, and it makes me proud of her to call her my friend.
But she does not stop at installation art, she also has a beautiful piece of dried flowers that is a gorgeous, dark piece of art that would be amazing hung over a red couch (hopefully one will soon be hanging over mine). The key to spotting a real artist is someone who isn’t afraid to try new things, who can make abstract art and get people to feel a certain way towards it that some still life paintings cannot evoke that kind of emotion.
Flowers
The Harford Community College Art Show is in early May, and I will be documenting Christina’s exhibit there, with video and pictures along the way. Also interviewing viewers to see how the art makes them feel. Call it, an amateur attempt at an art documentary, which some of it will be exhibited on Literate & Stylish.
As the interview comes to a close, I am in awe of such an inspiring artist who goes against the grain and doesn’t just make art to get a reaction out of people. She makes art because it is genuinely her calling in life and when the time is just right, and inspiration strikes, it could be at 3am, her music is blasting and her thoughts are going frantic, as any artist/writer/musician knows, when you get into a groove, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. It takes you over like a gust of wind pointing you in the right direction to make something hauntingly handsome.
We're All Going
So stay tuned to see what is next for Christina Delzer, during her art-show and after. I will be doing updates on all my monthly artists, beginning with an amazing artist who I am lucky to call my friend, my confidant, and an artist to watch out for in the near future. If you would like any more information on Christina Delzer or her work please feel free to email me at thisisliterate.stylish@gmail.com
Happy Reading!
