From Doodles to Dedication
The Creative Journey of Christina Wegman
by Kae Partida
For Christina Wegman, art was a constant companion from a young age. “I grew up always drawing the way a lot of people do, where you don’t really think about it. You just kind of do it,” she reflected. Visual art wasn’t something she ever considered a career—at least, not in those early years. It was simply a natural part of her life, an expression of creativity that didn’t come with expectations or plans.
Art was always present in Wegman’s life, even if it wasn’t directly tied to formal education. “My mom went to art school, and she taught art, and my grandfather was an artist,” she shared, explaining how her family history was steeped in creativity. While she didn’t attend art school herself, Wegman grew up with exposure to art from an early age. “I've had that exposure to art growing up. I took art classes in high school, you know, when I'd get a chance to do art as an elective. In college as well.” This early exposure laid the foundation for her lifelong connection to the arts, even as she initially pursued other paths.
Wegman’s environment nurtured her love for art. “Yeah. It's just always there. There are so many art books in my house –to this day,” she said, reflecting on her family’s deep engagement with art. “My mom will tell you. If we went to a bookstore, she'd buy herself a stack of art magazines. I didn’t really study from them. I liked to just flip through them and go, ooh, pretty.” This casual, yet consistent exposure to art through books and magazines further fueled her connection to the creative world, even if her approach was more about appreciating than formally studying.
Though Wegman didn’t go to college for visual arts, she valued every opportunity she had to study with accomplished artists. “Roxy Veasey, she was my drawing teacher at UAH. And I took some art classes with Conor O'Brien over here as well,” Wegman recalled. “If I had gotten a little chance here or there to take a workshop or study with an artist I appreciate. I did, but a lot of it is self-taught. A lot of it is stuff you can't really be taught because it's intuitive.” This blend of formal instruction and self-guided exploration helped shape her artistic voice, though she recognized that some of her development came through instinct and personal experimentation.
Her career began to shift after she graduated from college. “That summer, I just decided I wanted to make a painting,” she explained. “You know, an oil painting. And I’d done a few, but not much. Mostly… growing up, it was more drawing. […] I didn’t really have access to oils.” For Wegman, oil paints had always seemed inaccessible—messy, expensive, and impractical. But something about that moment in her life sparked a desire to push past those barriers. “I just wanted to make an oil painting. And I did.”
The result was an expressionist piece depicting two geese, vibrant and bold. “I liked that painting. And I liked that painting so much that I took it to my high school art teacher, who had a gallery at that time. And I asked her, ‘Do you like this? What do you think of this? If I made more of these, would you show this kind of art?’” To Wegman’s surprise and delight, her former teacher not only appreciated the work but encouraged her to create more.
That summer became a pivotal time for her as an artist. Fueled by the encouragement and her own newfound passion for painting, Wegman immersed herself in her work. “I just spent that whole summer painting,” she recalled. It was during this transformative period that she realized art was more than a hobby. “Even though I would think about, ‘Oh, I could go to grad school’ or, ‘Oh, I could try to do this or that,’ that was the moment where it was clear to me that I was going to continue making art.”
Wegman’s creative momentum proved unstoppable. “I was making art so much that I needed to do something with it professionally because it wasn’t going to stop.” What began as a spontaneous decision to paint evolved into the foundation of a career. This realization marked the beginning of Wegman’s journey as a full-time artist—a path she has continued to walk with passion and purpose.
Wegman’s inspiration as an artist is deeply rooted in her exposure to the works of the early expressionists. “Traveling to look at the Kandinskys and the Franz Marcs, those were pretty influential to me,” she shared. Her studies in German opened doors to a deeper understanding of their art and philosophies. “Studying German got me into that kind of thing. I was able to read some of their writings and travel to see some of the artwork.” This connection to the expressionist movement left an indelible mark on her artistic vision, fueling her passion for bold colors and emotionally resonant compositions.
However, Wegman’s initial career path was not in the arts. “I thought I’d be an academic. I would write about literature,” she said, reflecting on her earlier aspirations. “I was going to go to grad school, still studying German and my thesis would have been about Franz Marc.” She had envisioned a life combining academia with her love for art. “I thought I could continue to paint and continue to travel and write about art.”
But as her journey unfolded, Wegman realized that the pull of creating art was far too strong to ignore. “I wasn’t thinking of doing full-time art at that point,” she admitted. “I was thinking I could have some other kind of career going along with it.” Yet, despite her earlier doubts, her commitment to art grew. “This just takes up too much of my mind –I can’t do other things!” Art had become not just a passion, but a calling that demanded her full attention.
As Wegman reflects on her journey, she is now beginning an exciting new chapter in her life at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment. “I kind of felt ready to have more of an artist community around me and, have some nice big windows, some more space, so this just felt like a natural change after an era” she shared. This next step represents not just a physical move, but a renewed commitment to her work, as she continues to explore, create, and contribute to the artistic community around her. In studio 321, Wegman’s journey as an artist is poised to evolve even further, surrounded by like-minded individuals and an atmosphere that nurtures her creative spirit.
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