Christina Pierce, Cricket Artist
Cricket Artist Christina Pierce spent her childhood in Cornwall where her father coaches cricket. After a foundation course at Plymouth College of Art studying under Alexander Mckenzie, she graduated from Central School of Art London and has exhibited extensively in the UK and abroad, including The Royal Academy, London, Lords Cricket Ground and Brit Oval.
Christina Pierce’s son, Oskar Kolk, plays for Cardiff MCCU (where he was awarded the2019 Graham Haines award,) Wales minor counties and captains Lansdown CC, Bath. Oskar played for Surrey from U9’s to U17s, Reed’s School 1st X1 from the age of 14 and Normandy CC 1st X1, having been coached from an early age in Cornwall by David Pierce. Christina herself managed the West Surrey District teams for 5 years through the age groups. Oskar also played for MOSMAN CRICKET CLUB, Sydney, Australia, whilst training with the Elite Academy, HG Cricket Academy at the University of New South Wales. Interview with Oskar as skipper during covid 19.
After a successful career in the fashion business working in London, Paris, Milan, Frankfurt, Lyon, Hong Kong, and Japan for Hermes, Parigi, Kenzo and Tricoville & Bellino she returned to her first love, Fine Art. Her paintings hang on the walls of both International and County players as well as Corporate and private collectors in the UK, New York, Singapore and India and have been reproduced in her successful Art of Cricket Yearbook and Desk diaries.
Since 2006 she has worked closely with members of the England team on their Benefit Years as well as many charities including Chase, Chance to Shine, Bunbury and The Lord’s Taverners.
Hours spent on the boundary throughout her life have given her inspiration and an insight which is evident in her paintings. With her box of boards and paints, Christina Pierce has captured the spirit and atmosphere of the game as well as depicting players from the youthful grass roots to the test arena, featuring such players as Shane Warne, Andrew Strauss, Allister Cooke, Freddie Flintoff, Stuart Broad, Steve Harmisson, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Graham Onions, Matthew Hoggard,Ian Botham, Ted Dexter, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar Virat Kohli, Farokh Engineer, Imran Khan, Aravind da Silva, Malinga, and Viv Richards, among others.
In 2012 Christina Pierce was made the Official Artist for the Sri Lanka Premier League and travelled to Colombo and Kandy to paint at the tournament. Following the interest in her work there she worked towards a large solo show at the Tao Gallery in Mumbai, November 2014.
Commissions have been forthcoming in this market. The Art of Cricket Yearbook, which Christina first self published in 2008, contains over 40 reproductions of Christina's original sketches and paintings, all of which are available as limited edition prints. (Some original paintings are also still available.) Christina has since published 2009, 2010 and 2014 editions, 2011, 2012 and 2013, Turley Associates produced desk calendars.
Response from cricket lovers and the press alike has been enthusiastic:
“... Her work is wonderfully commemorative, she can capture the moment and life is all about moments.”
Ashley Giles, England and Warwickshire, Surrey Occasions, July 2009 (click here for full article)
“...wonderfully evocative oil paintings”
Christopher Martin-Jenkins, The Times, 1 Sept 2008 (click here for further detail)
“...detailed and vibrant images ...ultimate year book for cricket lovers. A true observation from inside cricket.”
The West Briton, September 2008 (click here for full article)
“... It is a gift which not only cricket lovers the world over will appreciate, but also those who enjoy and love art in whatever form it manifests itself. Well done Chrissy, she has done it again.”
Henry Blofeld, OBE, cricket commentator and author
“I have long been an admirer of Chrissy's cricketing paintings, and was delighted that she agreed to capture some of the most iconic moments of the Ashes 2009 for my benefit last year. I hope everyone enjoys the paintings included in this calendar. To me there is no-one better at recreating the emotion and beauty of a cricket match.”Andrew Strauss, MBE
Chrissy says "For my recent series of paintings, I have started with small sketches, using a variety of mediums, mainly oil on paper, as I like the texture it achieves using a dry brush. These I have used as reference for my large acrylic works.
"My figurative paintings are usually in oil, as I find this more malleable, but the large abstracts need to be much more immediate and textured, for the effect I am trying to achieve.
These abstracts belong beyond the world of cricket, the imagery balancing on the fine line between depiction of an event and an expression of feeling, pushing the boundaries of composition, chance and colour."
EXHIBITIONS
2018
Horsley and Send CC
Maori Oxshott
Hong Kong Cricket Club
2017
The Table Gallery, Hay-on-Wye
Hampshire Hogs Presidents Day
2014
Albemarle Gallery, London
RAC Epsom
Barrocuda Club, London
Tao Gallery, Mumbai
AFI, Diwali exhibition, Taj Hotel, London
2013
The Gallery, Mayfair, London
Selector for The Hackwood Art Festival
AFI Diwali Exhibition, Kent House, London
2012
Cotswold Cricket Museum, Stowe-on-the-Wold
Official Artist Sri Lanka Premier League
2011
The Hackwood Arts Festival, Hampshire
Ian Bell Benefit, The Dorchester, London
2010
Mushtaq Ahmed Benefit, The Grange City, London
The Sussex County Ground, Hove, Sussex
2009
Andrew Strauss Benefit, Guildhall, London
Royal Horse Guards, London
The Grange City Hotel, London, Ashes Ball
Jonathan Batty Benefit, Royal Garden, London
The Brewery, London
2008
Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall, London
John Crawley Benefit, The Rose Bowl, Hampshire
De Vere Grand Harbour, Southampton
Lords Cricket Ground, London
St Marys Stadium, Southamton, Hampshire
2007
The Oval Cricket Ground, London
David Nash Benefit, The Brewery, London
Guildford Cricket Festival
2005
Hackwood Art Festival, Hampshire
2006
Ashley Giles Benefit, Getty Ground, Wormsley
2004
Royal Academy of Art, London
2003
Los Angeles, Indigo Fine Art, USA
Cedar House Gallery, Surrey
