Christine Olmsted

Christine has always had a passion for self-expression - translating inner thoughts and feelings into works of art and design. She has been selling her jewelry and acrylic paintings professionally since 1992. After graduating with a degree in Environmental Design from UC Davis she found herself living in Kyoto, Japan teaching English and developing her skills as a painter. The simplicity and minimalist beauty of Japanese arts and crafts influenced her profoundly, then, and now. It was there she found her first pile of discarded copper wire and combined it with the peeled discards of her acrylic paint palette to bring her mixed media figures to life. Their outstretched arms, a posture of joy and celebration, are their trademark. Christine continues to be inspired by folk art from around the world striving that the spirit, color, and humor of the art form shines through her work.

Metal Jewelry – Christine carries her minimalist aesthetic into her forged metal jewelry. Using sterling silver, copper, and brass metals, she cuts, hammers and pieces them together with beautiful semi-precious stones from the natural world creating simple, graceful designs meant for everyday wear.

In 2015 Christine followed a calling to become an elementary school teacher. She currently teaches at a public Waldorf school in Sacramento where she happily gets to (and is encouraged to!) infuse all lessons with the arts.