Christa Barnell is the First Friday artist for June. Opening June 2 (5:30 - 8:30 pm) at Art Lovers gallery at 201 E. Main St., Barnell's show "Dimensions and Dreamscapes" offers clever and colorful paintings that take her viewers on an "out of body experience" or regress them into the magical state of childhood.
Christa is an established fine artist who holds a BFA from the School of Creative Arts in Fort Wayne. Growing up in the woods of rural Indiana, Christa tuned into her spiritual connection with nature, and turned to painting as a relief from chronic headaches.
Christa has been displaying her whimsical art at juried exhibitions and galleries across the Indiana state and winning various awards. After taking Second Place in a National Contest, her painting, "My Life on a Shelf" was exhibited at the John Hancock Building in Chicago. "Post Angel" took Best Work, First Time Exhibitor, Contemporary, at the 80th Annual Hoosier Salon
in Indianapolis. Recently Christa's story and her art was featured in Angels On Earth magazine, a Guidepost publication. The artist is at the beginning of her career and currently lives here in Carbondale, Illinois with her husband Todd and their two cats.
Her web site is ChristaGallery.Com
