So...people ask me, 'What is your style?'

Christine Hella Cott captures the shapes, colors, and moods of the Pacific Northwest in a way that is uniquely her own. From the landscapes of Olalla to the seascapes of her current home in Port Orchard, WA, Christine is reinventing the way we look at our own backyards.

In her own words:

Simply enough, I paint my life. I often don't realize that until the painting is done, or half-done. So I just paint what I see. And generally, as I pretty much just follow my nose, what I see could be anything.

Once focused on an idea, or an intent for a painting, I use everything at my hand, every color, every texture from thick or grainy to pigment barely scraped on the canvas; from dry brush scumbling to paint so wet it's almost watercolor. Whatever serves the basic intent.

So...people ask me, 'What is your style?'

There have been murmurs of 1930's California Impressionism because of my use of vivid color and representation, and then again, Expressionism, for the very personal views expressed. All I can say is, I see many influences in my work, from all the painters I've ever admired, and that's a lot of them.