She has lived in Hoboken a little over a year, and has been painting seriously for just a little longer than that, and yet Christina Carter has produced quite an impressive collection of oil on canvas paintings on a familiar topic.
Several of her paintings depict phrases in either French or English about romantic affairs throughout Carter’s life. In the simple yet powerful painting bearing the name "all of me for you," Carter is able to transcend the words on the canvas with dark, poignant colors and eloquent handwriting.
"This is about my passion and feelings toward someone I loved," she said during an interview last week. "This is one of the lines in a love letter he gave me."
More than a dozen of Carter’s paintings are being showcased at Park Pastries on Washington Street through the end of January. The paintings range in size and price, from $150 to $450.
Originally from Baltimore, Md., Carter comes from a large family. She studied art briefly in high school and at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. After school, she moved to Hudson County to work at a financial firm in New York City as a trade analyst. She admits to having had no formal art training, but throughout her life she has painted and has had a passion for the arts. For the past six years she has worked on commissions for friends and family. With every work she creates, Carte rediscovers her art, she said.
"Since a child, I remember drawing and painting landscapes," she said. "These paintings were my way of expressing some emotions that were too painful to talk about at that time."
During the work week she is busy dealing with the market monitoring trades and financial movements, but when she is at her modest studio on Hudson Street, Carter focuses on her creativity and releases her energy on canvases, many times turning photographs from vacations into pieces of art.
"I work primarily in oil and paint landscapes, figures and contemporary themes," she said. "I’ve been looking for ways to promote my work while holding down a full-time job."
The painting titled "Boats of Gibraltar" is a colorful representation of a childhood memory with her family, Carter said. The work depicts boats by the shore with a big sky blending with the blue waters.
"It’s quite beautiful to be able to paint your memories," she said. "This is definitely a piece I’m much proud of."
In addition to landscapes and love poems, Carter has some common paintings of fruits like pears and oranges for sale. She has been successful selling some of the pieces in Hoboken, and looks forward to having more shows in the area.
Park Pastries, the little art haven and café, is located at 517 Washington St. They serve a variety of cappuccinos, lattes, and desserts. For more information, their telephone number is (201) 386-1020. To contact Carter, e-mail her at christinapcarter@yahoo.com. q