Christa Malay works with watercolor, oil paint, and pastels, as well as etching, monotypes, and silk screen techniques, to create art that is collected regionally, nationally and internationally. She was instrumental in creating the Lopez Artist Guild and establishing the annual Lopez Island Studio Tour two decades ago. Her contribution to Pacific Northwest landscape art was honored by a year-long exhibition at the Washington State Governor’s Mansion in 2010.
For the past thirty years, the names Christa Malay and MARTIN & MALAY STUDIOS have been synonymous with Pacific Northwest serigraphy. Artist partners Malay and Martin designed and hand-printed limited editions of collectible promotional artwork for festivals and resorts across western North America.
Her studio and gallery are open to the public.
“I became interested in painting the landscape one day in late childhood, when I noticed how the colors of the green trees faded to blue, the railroad tracks appeared to meet in the distance, and small roads curved to create cool shadows. I spent long summer days in my family garden plot, where low fences, gates and pathways connected a rambling patchwork of city gardeners. My memory of climbing into the metal water barrel after a hot day of garden work is vivid even now. The cool earthy smell and the reflection of my face on the water’s surface gave me a profound feeling of peace and abundance. When I create art, I draw from these early memories.”