About
BIO
Hristi Wilbur is an acrylic mixed media artist, exploring the space between realism and fantasy. Born in Bulgaria and living in Arizona, her esthetic vision aligns closely with the Japanese concept on wabi sabi- finding beauty in the imperfect and impermanent. Her current works have the rustic, timeless look of old parchment drawings, but achieved with acrylic paint and charcoal pencil. The years spent studying at the National Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria, were essential for building her drawing and painting skills and acquiring knowledge about art history. She draws inspiration from the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, its vast open spaces and unique habitat. Landscapes, dreamscapes and botanicals are the major themes in her paintings. Her art has been exhibited in a variety of settings throughout Arizona.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Experimentation and curiosity are driving forces in my creative process. Each of my works captures the thoughts, mood, and energy of the moment it was made. At any given point, I have a maddening amount of ideas in the form of memories, impressions and sketched images that I use in my art. I don’t intend to fit into a creative mold or apply forced limitations. As a hopeless idealist, I believe that “beauty will save the world” (thank you Dostoevsky for the quote). From the time I can remember, I’m drawn to painting, and practicing art has been one of the few consistent things in my life on my journey from Bulgaria to NYC and Phoenix.
Like many artists these days, I’m an obsessive visual consumer, inspired by actual and virtual imagery. In my art, representational and abstract elements often blend to create a playful and intricate mix that reflects my life experiences. No matter what theme I’m exploring, my work is fundamentally rooted in classical drawing and my love of detail. I’m drawn to the expressive quality of the line. After decades working on representational art with oil, I switched to acrylics, enjoying their incredible versatility that matches my desire for constant experimentation. I love layering- in both the actual with acrylic skins and mediums, as well as the conceptual.
Living in Arizona for the last twelve years has slowly changed my color palette. The earthy, subtle, burned rust and sand hues of the desert landscape, have influenced me and transformed the coloristic qualities of my drawings and acrylic paintings.
CV
EDUCATION:
National Academy of Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria Master of Fine Arts, June 1998
National Academy of Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria Bachelor of Fine Arts, June 1997
Major: Theory of Art, Minor: Art Education
JURIED SHOWS:
2017 - “Celebration of Artists 2017”, West Valley Art Museum, Peoria AZ
2017 - “Interpretations”, Arizona Artist Alliance, Surprise AZ
2017 - “Flight”- International show, Tubac Center of the Arts, Tubac AZ
2017 - “Tiny Art”, Herberger Theater, Phoenix AZ
2015 - “Seasons and Cycles”, Herberger Theater, Phoenix AZ
2015 - “All Art Arizona”, Art Intersection, Gilbert AZ
NONE JURIED SHOWS:
2016 - “Summer Show”, Beatitudes Exhibit of Phoenix Artist Guild, Phoenix AZ
2015 - “Current Drawings” – solo exhibition, Film Bar, Phoenix AZ
COLLECTIONS:
2017 - City of Glendale Portable Art Collection
2017 - Works held in private collections in the US and Bulgaria
AWARDS:
2018 -Special Merit Award, LightSpaceTime Gallery Botanical Art Exhibition
2017 - Best of Show Award, Glendale Plain Air Art Competition
2017 - Phoenix Artist Guild, Artist of the Month
2016 - First Place in “Tools of the trade” Art competition, Arizona Art Supplies
1997 - Winner, Open Society Foundation Award- Received scholarship for highest achievement in Fine Arts
PUBLICATIONS:
2013 - Featured in Artist Portfolio Magazine - Southwest vs. Northeast edition
TEACHING:
2017-current - Adult art classes, Thunderbird Center for the Arts, Phoenix AZ
2006 – 2016 - Art teaching in private and charter schools, Phoenix AZ
MEMBERSHIP:
2017 - Arizona Artist Guild