christine decamp

The familiar form of Black's Mountain can often be seen rising in the background of Christine DeCamp's visionary images. “Black's Mountain is one of my favorite local landmarks,” she says. “Whenever I see it, I know that I am home.”

Although Christine has lived in West Marin for 16 years, and in the Bay area since 1981, she originally came from Northwestern Pennsylvania. She grew up in a small town called Kane, which is surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest. It is an area abundant in springs and clear creeks, and it is rich with deer, black bear, and other small game. As a child, she was either out playing in the woods, or she was drawing and painting. Making art came easily to her, and she got in trouble for drawing on the walls of her bedroom.

Christine attended college at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia; Grove City College in Grove City, Philadelphia; Edinboro State College in Edinboro, Philadelphia; and Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. She received a Bachelor of Art degree in English Literature from Grove City College and a Bachelor of Fine Art in Sculpture from Tyler School of Art.

Christine's early years gave her a lifelong love of animals and nature. After living in Philadelphia and San Francisco for many years, her move to Point Reyes was a homecoming. Her paintings have been greatly influenced by the beauty and magical qualities of West Marin. The majority of her work is done in gouache (a kind of watermedia with a richness of color similar to pastels) on Arches watercolor paper, or acrylic on canvas, often with added elements such as beading, collage, or other mixed media. What is common to both media is a saturation and layering of color, her use of gold leaf, and her imaginative scenes of women and animals in nature.