Christine Caines

About the Artist

Christine Caines is the granddaughter, daughter, and aunt of a family of visual artists. Her grandfather, a native of St. Kitts, was commissioned in the 1960's to paint an oil of the first African American Episcopal Bishop for the state of Massachusetts. Her mother is a "crafter" of all mediums, i.e. paint, fabric, copper, marble, and natural stones. Christine is self taught, only enjoying the art classes of junior high and high school. She uses her sewing and quilting skills to make fabric quilted and color penciled works of art. Born in 1947 in Massachusetts, Christine is a native of Mashpee, Massachusetts but attended public school in Malden and Medford, Mass. as during her childhood there was no school in Mashpee. Her family continues to live in those towns with her mother, at the age of 93, still residing and crafting in Mashpee. She has a masters degree in education from Cambridge College in Cambridge, Mass. Her professional life has been that of helping others as a counselor to people living with AIDS, a counselor for families of homicide victims, and an addiction counselor. She is divorced and has retained her maiden name of Caines, a tribute to her West Indian roots.

Artist's Statement

I love to create with fabric, my sewing machine, and colored pencils. My love of sewing introduced me to another way I could "paint" pictures of people I love. Colored pencils brought me back to my childhood. Combining all three is when I'm in my "happy place".