MADE IN CORONADO

Christie Curran is both a fine and commercial artist who works for theaters.

DOUGLAS CURRAN

Setting the stage

Pandemic gives theater painter time for new direction in art

By LESLIE CRAWFORD

Christie Curran is a Coronado artist specializing in residential and commercial commissions. Classically trained and a graduate with honors from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia, she relocated to San Diego in 1992 to work at The Old Globe theater in Balboa Park. During that time, she spent weekends in Coronado and also swam with the Coronado Masters Swim Team.

Curran met commercial artist Hampton Hall and moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to work in the decorative art trade, painting commissions in high-end hotels. Hall mentored Curran for many years. She considers him a great inspiration. While in Los Angeles, Christie met her husband, Douglas. After Hall moved to the East Coast and the couple lost their parents, they were ready for a fresh start, moving to Coronado in 2016. In 2020, Curran began plein-air oil painting with art mentor and friend Kat Ring.

We asked Curran about her art and life in Coronado.

Q. When did you know you wanted to become an artist?

A. When I was a child, I always had a big talent for art. In high school, we had an art program that was a little bigger than other schools. I took oil painting and watercolor and silk screen and photography. The teacher was a very motivated person, and

he really guided people.

I went to Moore College of Art, which is a private college for women in Philadelphia. I met people that did shows like TV shows, rock and roll shows and stage stuff. And it got me thinking that that is the way to make money as an artist.

I started working for American Music Theater Festival (in Philadelphia), and it just kind of went from there. I found out about The Old Globe, and I relocated from Philadelphia to specifically work at The Globe.

Q. Did you start plein-air painting during the pandemic?

A. I had done some small plein-air watercolors. When I would travel, I’d always take a watercolor set with me. But I wanted to take the time to do plein-air oil painting. And then with COVID, it just worked because I had the time. I met Kat, and I went out to paint with her. So that really worked. And it’s just so nice here on the island to do that.

Q. How would you describe your art?

A. I’ve done some abstract pieces, but typically I do pastoral landscapes or still lifes. Just nonconfrontational art.

Q. Are you still focusing on historical homes in Coronado with your plein-air art?

A. I enjoy historical homes and historic preservation. That’s the style I’m attracted to, especially Spanish revival. There are some beautiful homes here. I got fixated on the architect Cliff May. I was doing paintings of his homes. And then some owners purchased those paintings.

Q. What is your process?

A. I’m very process oriented. And I really like the discovery of how to do different things, especially with the theatrical work. You have to think about how you’re going to do something, you have to lay it out, you have to understand how to do the math, geometry.

You’re just always thinking, and I really like that — the math and the discovery and knowing how to use the different tools and the inventiveness with different materials. You have to do that process of what tools can I work with? And do I make a tool? Or do I use something that you normally wouldn’t use? That’s what I really like.

Q. Describe your work locations.

A. The environments all are different, depending on the job. It’s never the same.

I really like the theatrical stuff and people’s homes. To me, the challenge is when people want something in their home. You think about the flow. Do they come down the stairs and see it? Or do they see it when they come in the front door? How

DOUGLAS CURRAN PHOTOS

Christie Curran took up on plein-air oil painting during the pandemic in 2020, focusing on places in Coronado, especially historical homes.

DOUGLAS CURRAN PHOTOS Christie Curran has created commercial art, including pieces for hotels.

do they want it to be seen? It’s not just something that’s on the wall. It’s in a home. That’s kind of a kinetic thing.

At the Diversionary Theatre, I do everything in the theater. I’m painting right there on the stage. I loved working at The Globe, because we used to work in the park just behind The Globe.

Q. What has your art taught you about yourself?

A. It’s very important to not be precious about things. When you start something and you just know that it’s not right, then it’s going be a fight to get it to look right. So you just need to start over. You just erase all the stuff you’ve done and go back.

At the Diversionary, their back theater wall is just their wall; it’s 30 feet long. I painted that beautiful Christmas mural, but then there was the next thing. So I went in and painted the wall all white.

Q. What do you love about Coronado?

A. I like the variety of the people here. My ideal day is going to the pool in the morning, then go for coffee and doing a plein-air painting of a beautiful garden or home. At the end of the day, I’d go look at the bay. The bay is interesting to me because there’s always something: a military boat, a guy on a stand-up paddleboard. It’s gorgeous.

Q. Your Instagram page is fun. Tell me about your car.

A. I’m a car person. I grew up with cars because my dad always had vintage cars: Jaguars and Lincolns and Mercedes. My husband and I are very passionate about vintage cars. I had MGs, then I had a Studebaker, then I had a 1966 Mercedes and then I got this car, which is a 1971 BMW.

For more information on Christie Curran, visit coronadoarts.com/directories/christie-curran. ■