Local artist Christie Curran might be the coolest person you haven’t met yet (unless, of course, you already know her). She pulled up in a cream 1971 BMW 1602; its compact body, kidney grille and squared shoulders reflected Curran’s commitment to both aestheticism and practicality.
Stepping out, her hair was in a tight chignon and she wore a long striped skirt and a skinny scarf. Her original pieces and prints were packed away in an old boat bag slung over her shoulder.
Hailing from Philadelphia, Curran attended Moore College of Art and Design, a historically women’s college where she majored in painting. After graduation, she moved to San Diego for the theater scene and painted backdrops at the Old Globe Theatre, among others. This proved to be quite tedious, so she moved to Los Angeles to assist artist Hampton Hall, working on paintings for high-end hotels and private residences.
Curran moved to Coronado in 2016 to work on her own fine art with a local focus. Her art is available at Sea La Vie, a home goods boutique. Candles, calendars, phone cases, framed prints and more bore her different oil paintings of Coronado.
“You stereotype Coronado as military, or as second homes, but there are so many creatives,” Curran says.
Lately, Curran has been using oil paints on panels, switching from canvases after they kept blowing away when she was painting on location. When looking for an en plein air location, she says it is mostly focused with light. Her paintings reflect this: a sunset refracting across swollen purple waves, a verdant palm frond illuminated, the midday sun drenching San Diego bay in its harsh, white light.
A member of the Southwestern Artists Association (SWAA), Curran will be having an art show at the organization’s studio space in Balboa Park from Nov. 16 to 30. SWAA was founded in 1949 to create a community of San Diego artists and share art with the wider community.
“I love beautiful things,” she said, shrugging, matter of factly.
With her vintage car, unique personal style and panels painted with everyday scenes, Curran doesn’t need to find beauty, she creates it.
Check out her work here.
