Welcome to the World of Christa
One of the best parts of living in New York is the opportunity to run into so many interesting people with different talents. This past summer, I met Christa de Wal, a young Dutch artist with the sunniest (yes, this can be an adjective) of personalities, plus (bonus round) a killer figure. Experiencing immediate girl-crush, I wanted to know everything about her workout and diet routines. Like all good Dutch girls, she’s a pro at taking down massive beer bier steins and enjoys hearty stacks of bread and cheese (girl-crush deepening…) Christa doesn’t sweat the small stuff, instead, she keeps things balanced and carefree – both in her art and her everyday workout regimens, or lack thereof. Read on to fall in-Dutchie-love, but more importantly, check out her website to see more of her expressionist-style pieces, all available for purchase.
M: How old were you when you started painting and were you always naturally talented?
C: I’ve been painting and drawing for fun since I was little, but really started painting more seriously about six years ago. I had a fulltime job in Marketing, so it started as just a hobby, but I really loved it! I never took classes, but tried out all different techniques – struggling with colors is part of the fun I think. A lot of people said I should do more with it, so when I moved to New York I decided to give it a shot.
M: How old were you when you started running? How many big races have you run?
C: I started running when I was sixteen-years old, it’s my kind of like my meditation. I ran several half marathons, and one full marathon, two years ago in London. I ran the full marathon because I was working on a project in Kenya to build latrines (toilets) in schools, so it was a fundraising challenge. It was a huge goal, because before the training I had never run more than a 15K! But I did it!!
M: Do you see your life as an artist and as a runner separate or do you think you could not have one without the other?
C: When I’m stuck with a painting, or have a lack of inspiration, I often go for a run. It helps to clear my head and think about what I’m working on, so running definitely is a big part of my creative life!
M: Do you follow any particular kind of training schedule and also any particular painting schedule?
C: No, not really, the problem with painting is, that I cannot plan my creativity, and that’s sometimes difficult. But I’ll try to do it as often as possible. For running, I believe you (at least with myself) enjoy running the best when you do not set any goals or have schedules, but just go out, enjoy the fresh air and focus on how you run…instead of how fast or how far you’re running.
M: Do you have any pieces that are about running/were inspired by your running?
C: I like movement in my paintings, but they’re not focused on running…but maybe I just got a new idea! 
Loved to read this piece!
Daisy said this on October 19, 2011 at 10:21 AM |