Thursday, June 14, 2012

Follow your Passion ~ How I went from a Teacher to an Artist

     I receive such sweet messages ALL the time, asking how I got started painting, and how do I do it?  So, I figured I will go against my shy, humble nature and attempt to share a short version of "My Story" here. 

    My name is Christine Krainock, and I am a contemporary, palette knife painting artist.  I reside in beautiful, sunny, Southern California.  I feel absolutely blessed to be able to say that I am a person who is lucky enough to make a living doing what they are absolutely passionate about... for me, that is, and has always been, creating art!
 
     I come from a family of artists, including fine artists and musicians.  Like many artists, I was drawing and experimenting with watercolors at a very young age.  Art  was, of course, my favorite subject in school.  However, upon graduating with a Master's Degree, I was deterred from becoming a "Starving Artist", and so I pursued teaching as a profession as a more "realistic" and "steady" career.  I taught my sweet little students for many, many years while painting on the side, (no one even knew I painted -it was my little secret for years).  I loved teaching, and, if I do say so myself, was a much loved and exceptional teacher. :) However, the more I painted, the more I wanted to ALWAYS paint.  Eventually, my paintings were being requested, and collected from clients all around the world.  I loved painting so much, but there was hardly enough time to meet demand for my art while also teaching.  It was time to make a change...

Original, Contemporary, Palette Knife Paintings by Christine Krainock

     So, as you have probably guessed, with the encouragement of a few very special people, I took a BIG leap and decided to follow my passion for painting. Full time.   I did what so many who "create" dream of doing; I "quit my day job"!  It was a little frightening at first, but it was quickly apparent that I had made the right decision.  ...as much as I loved teaching... I just absolutely ADORE painting!  Giving up my first career has meant more time dedicated to not only painting, but to running my entire business.  Committing to my art full time & the business that surrounds it, is what I dreamed of doing, for a very long time, but, there was a time when that dream had been hard for me to fully admit ...even to myself. 

     I feel more than thankful every single day that I am able to create art in my own unique style, and that others enjoy and request my paintings as they do.  Creating art, painting, in my free, thick, impasto, palette knife style that I love, gives me so much happiness!  I am currently working out of my studio in the wine country region of Temecula, CA, just outside of San Diego, where I am  inspired daily by the beauty of my city, and where I am constantly kept busy painting commissioned paintings for designers, office spaces, wineries, hospitality spaces, and collectors around the world.  I currently sell some of my original artwork on Etsy, http://www.etsy.com/shop/christinekrainock at shows around the southern CA area, and local gallery exhibits.

Christine Krainock in her Temecula, California Art Studio

     So, on this site I will try my best to add posts about my paintings, the processes, art events, and beautiful things in not only my home and quirky life, but hopefully ideas that can be applied by others.  Please contact me at any time with any questions that you may have for me about my commission work, exhibits, or available original paintings.  Thanks so much, I rarely share "my story", and though this is the VERY abbreviated version, I hope that it has, at the very least; inspired some readers to follow their own true passions in life ... doing so really does create happiness.  My best to you all! 

   “Follow your passion. Stay true to yourself. Never follow someone else's path -unless you're in the woods and you're lost and you see a path. By all means, you should follow that.”
― Ellen DeGeneres  
;)

~Christine Krainock

1 comment:

  1. Very cool Christine. Thanks for sharing the abbreviated version...(-:

    ReplyDelete