Christine Rasmussen

Jet Stream Horizon, 2022

Oil on canvas

30 x 40 inches

Presented by Billis Williams Gallery

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In the current series, Christine Rasmussen posits the simple idea that we can find moments of transcendence in ordinary places. Each painting depicts a view from a parking lot. These transitional spaces are neither here nor there, rarely one’s starting point or destination, and are an experience many people have in common. City skylines and industrial canyons become the spaces in which Rasmussen invites the viewer to search for those moments of wonder. Transcendence can be found in the angle of a shadow on a concrete wall, the intersection of two rooflines, the texture of corrugated metal.  

While based on photo references of real places, the paintings are not photo realistic. Rasmussen lets her imagination run wild – inventing color palettes and combining different skies, real and imagines, to create the feeling she is looking for. Balanced against the rusted metal and concrete, these soaring skies, sunset-lit clouds, and deep shadows are a touch of nature in this human-created world. Hard-edged shadows bisect walls, creating striking intersections of light and dark and giving a hint to the forms outside of the frame. The stark angles of the walls are given unexpected dimensions and depth by the shadows and by the textures of age Rasmussen captures so well.  

Bio: Christine Rasmussen is an American artist raised in Pakistan, Vietnam and the United States. She received her BA (Double Major –