Meet Christy Lynn Greene | Master Silk Painter, Designer & Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christy Lynn Greene and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christy Lynn, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Stay true to myself; embrace my own way of creating and presenting…trust my instincts, its ok to play with them in different ways and also to involve others, asking their thoughts, but ultimately its my instincts that prevail. If I don’t have an answer to a situation or problem, that means I wait for it to come, and when the time is right, answers will arrive. The key is to listen to my inner voice and trust it, she knows.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I love to paint on silk and to share this joy with others. I create paintings, wearable’s and home décor items. I also offer a variety of prints. I enjoy the ability to paint some of my personality into my pieces, I really can’t help it! For example, my friend had asked me, while we were both painting trout, “why is your trout smiling, they don’t smile?! ” Well, I didn’t know my trout was smiling, thats just what I painted, subliminally, my feelings came through. Then I began to notice that most my animals were smiling! So this kind of thing is what I try to go with, let my feelings show – unapologetically, even if its not exactly “real”…it is to me!

​Growing up in the countryside of Minnesota, my love of nature developed, coupled with an artistic family, my love for creating was affirmed. I have since lived in western Montana and the Sonoran desert of Arizona, where my beautiful surroundings inspire my work.

I spent twenty five years working in the airline industry, which has allowed me to travel the world…there are so many amazing people and places, its been an exhilarating experience. I hope to express some of these through my art.

Painting called out to me again, later in life and with the discovery of silk painting, I had a strong desire to learn many techniques and nuances this fascinating medium had to offer. I found myself entering shows and sharing my paintings throughout North America, Greece, Qatar and England. I’ve taken some wonderful workshops by renown instructors. I was thrilled to be awarded Master Silk Painter in 2018, among the top silk painters in the world, by Silk Painter’s International (SPIN) and People’s Choice in 2d art, as well as in fashion.

My process is ever changing, I find myself inspired by color and movement and the best way to portray this is with the art of silk painting, the colors are luscious and when my brush touches the silk, magic occurs! The movement on the silk is alive! The colors blend in a dance of true beauty, this is all so rewarding to me. I start out with a general idea of what I want to paint, but always stay very open and listen to what my instincts and paints tell me, as my work always changes in the process and never ends up exactly as my original “rough” plan, I enjoy this journey and embrace it, having some control, yet allowing the painting to present itself to me.

The struggles of having my art as a business are plenty! The art world is constantly changing, there are so many ways to be represented, I am always learning and studying the options available. The time consuming part of all this is learning computer skills, from getting images and how to present them, to setting up a website. Much time is contributed to marketing, this itself can be a full time job. Thankfully there are so many helpful guides available to artists with tutorials, forums and workshops…all these have proven most helpful. The most valuable of all my lessons I’ve learned from having my art as a business, is by actually being present with my customers and collectors. When I have my shows with a booth,or at a gallery, I take that opportunity to listen and ask questions…people will tell you what they think, what they like or dislike. Ultimately, one needs to listen to their inner voice, but then to accept the thoughts of other’s- this really helps to grow, its a combination of these that seems to work.

I have received awards from various exhibitions and have chosen to share my growth in silk painting as President of the Silk Painter’s Guild of Montana and serving on the Executive Board of Silk Painter’s International, SPIN. I truly enjoy offering silk painting workshops from beginners to advanced and am the Co-Chair of the Silk Painter’s International Festival.

I think of my painting as ever changing—an organic, fluid process that gives my work an expression of colorful movement. My vibrant art evolves, layer after layer, like life, charged with an emotional vision that offers joy to the viewer and wearer alike.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would go to lake Havasupai Falls, sleep under the stars, cook over a campfire and hike and swim to our hearts content, drink good wine and tell fun stories and laugh until we fall asleep! If we had any more time, we would head over to the North rim of the Grand Canyon and do the same and in our down time, we would paint watercolors plein air in a beautiful setting we find along our adventure.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to credit my dear friend, Joe Jindrich for encouraging me to go out on my own. After the downsizing of the company I worked for, I found myself without a career and somewhat direction-less; life continued to be a great challenge with many major losses. What I found during this time, was…myself! Because I felt that I had nothing to lose anymore, Joe emboldened me to go out on my own, supporting myself and my passions. I had to be willing to risk what little I had left from my losses…so I was dedicated to my passion and to making it successful. Joe supported my growth every step of the way, he is an independent contractor and good example of succeeding at what drives oneself.

Another dedication to my business growth I give to SPIN, Silk Painter’s International. After attending their biennial Festival in 2016, I was inspired and supported by a group of artists with similar passions. This wonderful group has generously shared their knowledge and experiences to help me gain confidence and growth in my artwork and my business. Now I am an integral part of this special organization and try to share what they taught me, as well as to truly appreciate and enjoy my peers, we need each other.

Website: christylynngreene.com

Instagram: instagram.com/christylynngreene

Facebook: facebook.com/silkwares/