PenWomanShip

Featured Artist

Christina Cartwright ~ Shooting for the Moon

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars."

That's Christina Cartwright's favorite quote. And if you've seen her work, you'll see the quote is quite appropos. Although Cartwright describes her own work as "strange" the words "fantastic" and "whimsical" are also suitable descriptions. Not by any means your basic still life or landscape, there is a certain feel of fantasy to Cartwright's computer-generated artwork, sometimes bordering on science fiction.

Born and raised in southwestern Indiana, Cartwright attended IVY Tech State College to earn a degree in Visual Communications. As with many artists, Cartwright's interest in art began at an early age.

"My Grandma Cartwright painted oil paintings of beautiful landscapes and allowed me to do some of my own," says Cartwright. Her grandmother, also a musician and writer, was Cartwright's inspiration. "She told me I was a really good artist and I could do something with my talent someday."

Which is exactly what Cartwright is doing. She entered one of her earlier works, "Inside Nicole" in a local art show and won first place. She would like to expand her artwork to include designing book covers and illustrations for stories as well as movie posters and other mediums.

As with any creative endeavor, Cartwright knows the creative process takes practice, hard work, and knowing what you want to do. Her interest in computer-generated artwork was sparked when she visited a website with images that left an impression on her.

"I thought, 'Wow! I want to do art like that'," says Cartwright. She sent e-mails and asked questions about how the artwork was created. And the very selfless artists were only too happy to share with her information about programs and techniques they used. "So I began practicing computer art," says Cartwright.

Cartwright's very well-timed submission to Penwomanship is testimony that practice makes perfect. The artwork "Penwomanship" will grace the cover of the premiere April issue.

"I consider it to be a very classy and chic piece," says publisher and editor, Penny White. "I feel it exemplifies the studious woman writer and that's why I chose it for the April cover."

"I was really impressed with the magazine and with what it was trying to accomplish. I wanted to do something to help," says Cartwright of the Penwomanship artwork. "I figured if the publisher didn't like it, I hadn't lost anything. And if the publisher did like it, well, that would be just peachy and maybe I could do more work for Penwomanship later on."

Indeed, when White inquired about having Cartwright design a new logo as well as artwork for individual departments, Cartwright came through.

"I am ecstatic with the work she has done," says White. "And I definitely hope to be able to commission more work from her in the future."

You have nothing to lose when you're shooting for the moon.

Visit Christina Cartwright's website at Digitell Designs.