Paula Christen
About
I'm Paula Christen, a watercolor painter living and working in Winthrop, Washington — a small town tucked into the Methow Valley, where the light changes everything and no two seasons look alike. I've called this corner of the Pacific Northwest home since 1976, and I still catch my breath at the right moment on the right trail.
That feeling is what I paint.
I work in traditional watercolor — wet-in-wet, warm palette, the kind of looseness that lets a scene breathe while still being somewhere recognizable. A barn. A river bend. Snow on the hills above town. I often include a figure or two, kept non-specific, so whoever is looking can place themselves there. The goal is always the same: to make a painting you could step into.
I work seasonally and intentionally — chasing the fleeting things: fall color before it peaks, winter's particular silence, the golden slant of a July afternoon. These landscapes aren't backdrop. They matter. And in a time when wild places are increasingly fragile, painting them feels like both a privilege and a responsibility.
