Artist Interview: Christa Diepenbrock

What is your name:
Christa Diepenbrock

Do you have a formal art education or are you a self taught artist:
I have a master of fine art in painting from TWU.

What is the style of your pieces:
I am calling newest style my new “Dreamscape” series. Within the last month or so, I have been illustrating these bizarre dreams I have been having. Inspired by the scroll paintings of Swarna and Manu Chitrakar, I am creating paintings that have the same feeling as the Chitrakar's work. Using the Chitrakar's six sectioned pattern format, I use crayon and water color to recreatescenes from my dreams. They are not to make sense nor are they trying to tell a story. Their background is set in New York City, Norman, Oklahoma or India. I would like to enlarge many of these “Dreamscapes” on scroll sized paper. Currently they are about 6 inches by 24 inches on bristle board.

What is the medium in which you work:
Currently, the private story telling series is crayon resist with
watercolors on rice paper.

What started you on your path as an artist:
My mother also has a MFA in painting so I come by it naturally. I had not planned to be an artist but my middle school art teacher, Ms. Wahl saw that I had talent. She enrolled me to be in her class all three years of middle school. She put my work into all kinds exhibition, they won all kinds of awards.

What is one of the most important things that art has brought to your life:
Art has brought discipline to my very chaotic personality.

What is your favorite genre of art besides the one you work in:
I love heavy metal sculpture but I never have the money to do it.

Do you have art showings, and if so what are they typically like:
My art has been shown at variety of venues so the show really depends on the location. For example if I am showing with the Bath House, I would only have one piece in the exhibition so my work makes a brief but powerful appearance. When I was exhibiting with the Mod.Shop, the director placed 9 to 10 of my paintings on the wall as you walk into the gallery. That exhibit my works makes people stop to look at the bright colors of nude figure. When I have shown with the Nomads, my work adds to the festivities of a couple hundred people showing up to drink and listen to music.

Do you have a certain set of clothes you make art in:
I am messy so my painting jeans could probably walk on their own.

What has been the most frustrating part of being an artist?
That I can't seem to make money doing it. I would love to have a job doing what I love, creating art.

What is your favorite sandwich of all time:
It depends on my mood.

Has this year brought about any changes in your work, and if so what are they:
I have completely changed mediums when I started working on my dreamscapes. I was working with acrylic on canvas but now I am working with crayons, watercolors and rice paper. My subject matter has changed dramatically as well. I was working with the figure in the abstract but now I am working with the figure in a story telling manner.

Who is your favorite artist alive or dead:
Swarna and Manu Chitrakar, Susan Meiselas, Marlene Dumas, Ganga Devi Bhatt, Mukherjee, and of coarse Jackson Pollock, Matisse

What is the most moving piece of artwork that you have seen in person:
The first Jackson Pollock I saw at the Met. I could not believe how big it was and have much movement it had. I felt like I was “doing some kind of drug” but I was perfectly sober. Amazing.

Do you have any animals, and what do they think of your work:
I have a Crocker Spinal named Blue and a Beagle named Barrie. My crocker was my paint dog when I was getting my masters at TWU. He loved getting paint all over him. I found it annoying! The beagle figures pretty heavily into some of my current dreamscapes. I dream of him a lot so he has become the subject of many of my paintings.

Do you have any upcoming exhibitions you would like to share with us:
Absinthe Lounge, July 10th, ~~Bath House Culture Center, Fictional Exhibition, July ?, ~~united BLACK ellument 3116 Commerce Street, Suite C, Dallas, TX 75226, phone 214-760-9718 july

www.christadiepenbrock.com www.zimanarts.com

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