Christy Menzies

Christy Menzies was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1979. Since a young age, she has had a creative interest in both singing and painting, and continues to do both passionately. (She is currently a singer for the band called Social Hypnosis. http://www.myspace.com/socialhypnosis ) Christy obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, with a major in Painting, from the Alberta College of Art and Design in 2005.

Christy enjoys painting because it allows her to "live in the moment", something that is often hard for people to do. "We all live in the past and/or future, but rarely in the present moment. When I am painting, I am there now, nothing else but the painting is my focus. It is a very meditative practice for me."

One of Christy's goals is to be able to experience her paintings before they become paintings. Photographs of people's travels appeal to Christy. She finds inspiration from photographs of distant places, whether taken from her own experiences or those of others. "Through paint I can be transported anywhere in the world. Sometimes it is fun to paint through other people's experiences, but it really is best to paint and live through your own."

Her most recent trip was to Thailand in March 2006. She came back with both inspiration and an enormous amount of material to work with. (See the Gallery 2006 section to view the Thai Paintings.)

Next stop? Christy would love to travel to the coast of Italy to experience her paintings through her own eyes.