CHRISTINA RAMIREZ

B. Paterson, NJ

@RAMIREZPAINTS  @BLACKMARKETSAFFRON

Christina Ramirez is a process artist interested in the experimentation of paint, mixed media, and sculpture. She draws inspiration from nature and the light of the Arizona skies. She received her painting degree from ASU and exhibits in many alternative spaces and galleries in Phoenix. She has received grants from Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, Arizona Commission on the Arts, and Vermont Studio Center and Contemporary Forum. She is currently designing a railing for the Valley Metro Light Rail.

Ocean Desert

During most of the Paleozoic, southeastern Arizona was flooded by vast shallow seas containing marine organisms. The sedimentary rocks exposed in the Grand Canyon are rich with marine fossils such as brachiopods, crinoids, and sponges.

When I first drove out to Arizona, I came down through Monument Valley. One thing that struck me was how these mountains and geologic formations stood out on the horizon like tall islands. I have always pictured the desert through the lens of the ocean.