ArtRat's Holiday ArtMart (Dec. 10 and 11, 2021) will showcase the talents of Grand Rapids artist Tina Lee-Cronkhite and the Grand Rapids debut of New Jersey's Christina Saj.
Christina Saj is a contemporary artist whose abstract paintings reveal a fascination with vivid color and rich patterns. Her images allude to the tradition of sacred paintings, informed by her early training and work with Byzantine Iconographer Petro Kholodny, the Younger, exposing her to ancient methods of painting in egg tempera.
Saj holds a BA in Painting from Sarah Lawrence, an MFA from Bard College and studied Byzantine Art History at Oxford University. Her work has been widely exhibited, including such venues as the Museum of Biblical Art, The National Cathedral, The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC, Union Theological Seminary, The Ukrainian Museum in New York, The Museum of Cultural Heritage (Kiev, Ukraine), The National Museum in Lviv (Ukraine), the American Embassy in Qatar, as well as at the White House. Her works reside in private and museum collections in the US and abroad. She maintains an active studio in New Jersey where she welcomes commissions.
Christina Saj, Duma Prince of Dreams, mixed media and fabric collage on panel, 7" x 7", 2016
Tina Lee-Cronkhite was trained as a graphic designer at the Center for Creative Studies — College of Art & Design. Her mixed-media fine art calligraphy has been in many juried exhibitions, including Exploration with the Chicago Calligraphy Guild and in ArtPrize 2012.
Tina has been published in Letter Arts Review and Bound & Lettered. She has been actively involved in the Pen Dragons Calligraphy Guild in Kalamazoo, MI, since its 1983 founding. Tina lives in Grand Rapids; a Master Gardener, she has volunteered more than 1,700 hours, most of it at Meijer Gardens. She is a member of the native plant advocacy group River City Wild Ones.
Tina Lee-Cronkhite, from 100 Years, 100 Days (#1), 2015
About ArtRat's Holiday ArtMart
ArtRat ArtMart is ArtRat Gallery's first annual holiday sale, featuring home goods and gift-size art. As part of the SoDiv district's Holiday Shop Hop, ArtRat Artmart will run: Dec. 10, 5-9 p.m., and Dec. 11, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
ArtRat ArtMart will feature:
About ArtRat Gallery
Located at 46 Division Avenue South, ArtRat Gallery occupies a work space owned by Dwelling Place, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating affordable communities and revitalizing neighborhoods in Western Michigan.
ArtRat’s first show was “Woods Walk,” a collection of recent work by ArtRat owner, Grand Rapids native and nationally recognized painter Nancy Tobin. Taking Tobin’s longtime interest in organic forms in a new direction, the show features works on paper inspired by forest scenes of Western Michigan.
Media Contact: Matthew Rothenberg, matthew@artrat.us, 917-608-2794
