With the sharp-edged graphic feel, high contrast color palette, and a modern twist on traditional Hawaiiana, artist Christie Shinn’s paintings offer a fresh interpretation to life in Hawaii. Her beautiful works have not only appeared as a Vans shoe design, but also as the artwork for the Vans 2013 Triple Crown of Surfing event. Not only one thing, Christie is also the art director and collaborating artist at Surfer Towel, where her two towel designs will be released this summer. Find out more about Christie’s artwork, inspiration, and favorite collaboration by taking the leap below!
Photographs courtesy of the artist. | Portraits by Joel Terron Photography
Introduce yourself?
My name is Christie Shinn. I’m a resident of the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. I’m Canadian but I’ve called Hawaii home for over a decade.
What kind of work do you create? What medium and what would you say it is about?
I work in acrylic paint on canvas, wood, leather.. really, anything the paint will stick to.
I’d say the style of work is a modern version of traditional Hawaiiana (Hawaii-inspired art/craft).
I taught myself to paint, and my favorite art at the time was early skate graphics and silkscreened concert posters so I think there is a sharp-edged graphic feel to my work because of that. I like to go high contrast with color and pick subjects that are a little off-typical. I live in a place that is so familiar to people all over the world, even if they’ve never been here. I feel like it’s my job to find a fresh interpretation of life in Hawaii.
How did you start from doodling and drawing to what you do now? Where did your love of drawing and creating stem from?
My grandma taught me how to paint when I was a kid. I remember being fascinated with making marks on a canvas. It starts off blank, then it’s something and each choice is totally up to you. Some are good choices, some aren’t, but they’re all yours. I still love that about making art. I get to sit at my easel and create a thing that did’t exist before I thought of it. So cool.
Who and what were some of your early artistic influences?
My favourite artist as a kid was Henri Rousseau who created massive tropical themed paintings, even though he’d never been outside of France. He created an entire lifetime of artwork exploring his tropical fantasy world. His work is so weird and wonderful.
When I started getting serious about art, my absolute favourite artist was (and still is) Andrew Pommier. I love his characters, I love his style. I feel like I can look into the eyes of one of his characters and see an entire backstory. One of his pieces is on my studio wall for both inspiration and as a barometer for my own work. Even though we have different styles, I try to make sure each new piece that leaves the studio is worthy to be hung next to the Pommier.
What are some things that inspire the drawings you make now? What are some of your favorite things to draw? What about them makes them something you just find yourself re-creating or re-capturing over and over again?
I’ve spent a lot of years living on the North Shore of Oahu and about 4 years ago I met my boyfriend who lives on the South Shore. His place is an hour drive , and it’s like a whole new island visually. The colors are different, the ocean is different, the sunsets…everything is new and fresh. I think a lot of my work over the past 4 years has been inspired by the contrast between the two shores.
Take us through your artistic process? What’s a typical day in the studio like?
I wake up at 7:30am, get some cuddle time with the cat, make coffee and wait for my assistant to come over. He packs orders while I paint. Usually a friend drops by at some point because I live on a property with several houses and my neighbours are all friends. If it’s a surf day, we break for a surf. The afternoon is a mix of planning out new pieces, answering emails, prepping orders and generally taking care of the business side of art. I’ll do an evening beach run if I’m feeling energetic. Watch the sunset. Usually with a beer. After dinner, I’m back at the easel until about midnight. Nighttime is my favourite time to paint because there are no distractions.
I always take weekends off to maintain the work/life balance. It can get obsessive, especially when I’m struggling with a piece. Mandatory time off helps me reset.
What art tools will we always find in your creative space? Is there a medium you want to try that you have yet to get your hands on?
I keep it pretty minimal when it comes to materials. I have one large brush for lay in, 3 flats and 2 liner brushes. I always have several blank canvases hanging at all times. Since inspiration is hard to control, I think the key is to be ready for when it strikes.
I’ve always been fascinated with screen printing. I’d love to dabble in that one day.
What’s been one of your more rewarding collaborations or projects? What about it was so rewarding? What would your dream collaboration be?
I first worked with Vans in 2013 as the poster artist for their Triple Crown of Surfing event here on the North Shore. I did a bonus design that they turned into a limited edition capsule collection. It was on button up shirts, bags, hats, towels.. I didn’t know any of this until I opened up the box of samples. It was so unexpected, I actually teared up a little. What a crazy feeling to see your art on a Vans product. That moment really made a lasting impact. After that, I started to really believe it was possible to have a career doing something I was good at and that I loved. I owe a huge debt to the Vans design team of ’13.
A few years later I got to collaborate with Vans again on a shoe design for the Japan market. It was my favourite collaboration to date because they let me customize everything: the shoe, the insole, the box and even the tissue paper!
A few months later I’m in Tokyo doing a signing event next to a wall of my shoes. It was surreal.
I think my dream collaboration would be collaboration shoe for Vans USA. I love to hand-paint Vans and I have a couple favourites from the hand painted series I’d love to see as a production shoe. Also, the Japan sizes were so small I never got a pair I could actually wear myself!
What do you do when you’re not drawing or working on projects?
When I have a lot of down time, I love to travel. Japan is my favourite destination right now. When I have a little space in the day, I’ll log some hammock time, go for a surf, run, take photos…not in that order.
What’s the art community like where you are? What kind of avenues are there for artists in your area or is it more of a DIY type of thing?
Hawaii is a great place for artists. We have a lot of galleries, local shops and businesses that feature the work of local artists. There are so many interesting opportunities outside the gallery scene too. For example, some big hotels in Honolulu have been doing rebrands over the last few years and nearly every one has hired a local artist to help refresh their look. There is also a lot of love for Hawaii in Japan which has lead to some really cool collaborations between local artists and Japanese companies. It’s a really great place to be an artist because there is no one measure of success. There are so many ways to have an art career here.
What’s your art tip that you want to share with folks?
I try to keep the usual stuff in mind as I work: contrast, energy, balance. If there is a lot of warmth, add a splash of cool. If you go high-detail, balance it with some negative space. Dark/light etc…
My favourite pieces are the ones that still have the energy of the first strokes when they’re finished. Overworking is so easy to do. I try to take breaks and walk away or put it away for a while. I usually have several pieces going at the same time for this reason.
What are your favorite style of VANS?
My favourite Vans are Slip-Ons. It’s customary to take your shoes off outside of homes and some offices in Hawaii. I take my shoes on and off a lot in a day so the slip-ons are the way to go. Also, they have more surface area to paint on, so they get an extra point for that as well.
What do you have coming up that you can share or are super stoked about?
My newest collaboration is with Japanese airline ANA and LeSportsac. I created a series of bag designs for LeSportasac that will be available exclusively on ANA flights. I’m on my way to Japan in May for an art festival so I’ll actually get to see the bags on the flight.
I’m also pretty stoked on 2 new towel designs I have coming out this summer for Surfer Towel.
