with Christina Bianchini

“IN ART, everything is beautiful.”

That is the mantra for the 24-year-old ‘free spirit’ and artist, Christina Bianchini.

Though she says she follows a monotonous home-work-home schedule, there’s much more to her than meets the eye, much like with art itself.

Bianchini likes to feel free and independent at all times. She enjoys quality time with friends and exploring the great outdoors. At other times, being curled up in her room with a good book or glued to a TV show is just enough for her. But most of the time, you’d find her with her sketchpad or canvas because her heart is with her art.

“I remember since I was a little girl I loved colouring and drawing,” Christina told the Pepperpot Magazine. “I have always been fascinated by art but I didn’t realise I had the talent until high school.”

This talent was realised by her art teacher during her time spent at the Bishop’s High School and upon further examination, Bianchini started to realise it too. Moreover, she realised that her art was more to her than just creating something pretty.

She recalled that art slowly entwined itself in her daily life because of how easy and therapeutic it was for her to sit and create something of her own. Each stroke- whether it was with her pencil or paintbrush- transfixed her as she added them together to form her newest creation.

As someone who studied Sociology and understands the intricacies of human interactions, her art provides a medium for her navigate these intricacies.

Art also gave her the freedom to express herself in ways that maybe she cannot adequately do in words. “Expression and empowerment [are] what I preach,” she highlighted and said, “Hopefully I can use my art to do that,” Christina said. “I’m still building myself as an artist but definitely working on giving myself a voice through my art.”

A high-point as an artist for Bianchini would have been when she painted the 50th Independence Logo, placed in front of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) building and got to see it displayed every day for almost an entire year. Incidentally, she works as a Broadcast Monitoring and Compliance Officer there.

For a while though, she had lost the deeper connection she felt for her art. This was because she did not pursue it after finishing school, only as a hobby. As she says, she “neglected” it for a few years.

Realising that she missed it, she found a way to integrate it into her life once more. It’s her source of relaxation, it’s a way she expresses herself (and “speaks her truth!”) and fortunately, serves as a source of income.

But for artists like Christina, the demand for their creative pieces is pretty low and that can be pretty daunting. For many, putting pencil strokes on a paper or paint on a canvas seems like nothing too spectacular.

“There are persons out there that I’ve come across who don’t see value in art as much, so they won’t agree with the price that comes with it,” she related. The young woman also explained that there is a perception that art is just a hobby and not “real work”, which- of course- is completely false.

Bianchini, however, is of the opinion that art in Guyana is definitely a growing industry that has been garnering much attention recently.

For the people who appreciate art and would commission work from her, she is eternally grateful. And she has her family and friends supporting her all the way.