2022-
2024
Artist
Crystal Billing
I would like to emanate a sense of beauty, mystery, and awe in all of my paintings. I believe good art is beautiful while it also communicates something. I am attempting soft abstractions integrated within figurative work, with light touching the darkness in chiaroscuro form as a current direction. I am a highly sensitive and spiritual individual. I hope to be able to translate the intensity, beauty, and awe I feel when in prayer and deep thought along with the serenity I find in nature to the visual language of oil paint.
Blanket of Sun
Self Portrait 2022
2022
oil on canvas
12" x 12"
Not for sale
This was one of my very first oil paintings. I was attempting to capture the light and warmth of the sun through the use of subtle color over the shoulder and the sunlight dapples through the hat spilling over the face.
Chiaroscuro style is the direction I am headed for my thesis exhibit with Houston Christian University in April of 2025. I will be attempting to emulate the Baroque painters with my own modern twist, and specifically looking at Rembrandt as my chief master using a single light source as a guide for the series.
Widow’s Oil
2024
Oil on linen
16"x20"
$1200
In the book of First Kings, chapter 17 there is a quaint and intimate story of a widow from Zarapheth, who had enormous faith. This widow heard from God that she was to provide for the prophet Elijah although she only had 1 small jar of oil and a jar of flour left in her provisions for herself and her son. But God told her to do so, and she obeyed. After her obedience, God caused her jar of oil and flour to not run out throughout the entire drought Israel was experiencing. God provided enough.
“The Widow’s Oil” is a symbolic reminder that God’s provision is beautiful, and it is enough.
Pandora’s Hope
2023
oil on canvas
24" x 36"
$1200
Sold!
This painting now lives in Norway!
This painting is based on the Greek myth of Pandora opening the secret box the god's gave her. Out of the box fly the world's sorrows but Hope remains lingering at the bottom to stay with her and comfort humanity. I have represented personal sorrows within each of the globes surrounded by the dark cosmic swirls. Hope is represented through the classic symbol of the butterfly.
This painting had a life of its own, I felt. As I was painting it I turned directions many times, painted and repainted until I felt like it said what was needed to be said.
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Galatea
2023
watercolor on cotton paper
18"x 18"
$720
unframed
The story of Galatea and Pygmalion in Greek mythology is that of a sculptor, Pygmalion who falls in love with the maiden sculpture he created, Galatea. Pygmalion asks the gods to make her real and they grant his request. This painting shows the moment of transformation as the stone warms into human flesh.
These paintings can be purchased from Latitude Restaurant and Gallery in Rockport, TX after April 20th.
My Narcissus
2023
oil on canvas
20"x 16"
$900
wood framed
This painting is a study for the larger painting, Still Waters. As I painted through this I kept thinking about the Greek story of Narcissus, the young man who falls in love with his reflection in the water, thus its title. I was attempting through the use of only one layer of paint to capture peaceful swirls and visual beauty in the reflections in the waters below the bird.
Seagull
2023
oil on linen
11" x 14"
$720
framed in wood
This is of a gull in the waters of Surfside TX. I was hoping to capture the beautiful reflections I saw in the skim of water below the bird and the airy feel of ocean waves behind.
This painting was in the juried show hosted by KBM Art Gallery out of Riverside California in summer of 2023.
Mi Familia
2024
oil on linen
20"x 16"
$900
wood framed
I love Pelicans. This bird family was photographed in Surfside, Texas in the spring of 2023. I was attempting to capture the friendliness and beauty of these majestic birds along with the warm murky atmosphere of the Texas gulf.
Along with my “spiritual paintings” as my professor tagged it, I also like to paint nature. Being in nature is rest to my soul.
Still Waters
2023
oil on canvas
60" x 36"
Still Waters is a large painting, my largest thus far. I love this painting and have it hung in my dining room where it will live until it finds a permanent home. I was attempting to create an atmosphere of peace in the midst of chaos through soft brush strokes and visual depth in the reflections in the water.
Psalm 23,
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.”
$2520
framed in a 2" gold colored frame
My Narcissus
Study in Watercolor
2023
watercolor
16"x 12"
This painting is a study for the larger painting, Still Waters along with My Narcissus. It is the same bird used in all 4 paintings. As I painted through this I kept thinking about the Greek story of Narcissus, the young man who falls in love with his reflection in the water, thus its title.
This painting was showcased in Aqueous Open International, 2023 through Pittsburgh Watercolor Society.
$800
wood framed
Still Waters
Study in Watercolor
2023
watercolor
16"x 12"
$800
wood framed
This painting is a study for the larger painting, Still Waters. It shows the full composition with a focus on the movement and depth of the reflections in the water.
2023
oil on canvas
24"x 30"
$950
framed in wood
Calm Before the Storm
I was experimenting with Zorn color palette teamed with fast and heavy palette knife strokes on the bird for vibrancy in order to create the electrical calm one feels before a big storm.
Fisherman on the Gulf
2023
Oil on Canvas
36"x 24"
$1050
wood framed
Gulf Coast fishing at it’s finest. Quiet and contemplative is the mood. This painting is full of light and texture.
2023
watercolor
18"x 12"
$800
wood framed
Fisherman on the Gulf
Study in Watercolor
This painting is a study for the larger painting. I used many layers of paint to create the rocky depth of the water’s below the fisherman’s feet.
Gospel of John
2023
oil on canvas
16" x 20"
Commissioned: $900 framed
$800 unframed
This is a set of paintings I am working on, illustrating the Gospel of John, chapter by chapter. The first five shown I painted for a residency at Sienna Ranch Baptist Church. I will be illustrating more, hopefully all twenty-one chapters as the years go by. As soon as I have enough for a publication I will publish the gospel work in book form. I am taking commissions for specific chapters that I have not yet painted.
For Purchase Inquiries
Email:
clbilling@icloud.com
If you see a painting you love, whether from this website or my Instagram account @billing.crystal it may be purchased directly from me if it is for sale and not represented by a gallery. Please use my email to start the process. I will ask for your phone number and we will converse from there.
For gallery owners, I am looking for more gallery representation!
Along with the paintings for sale from the website, I also do commissioned pieces and portraits.
Bio
Crystal Billing
Crystal is an emergent artist. She started oil painting in 2022 but has been artistic and creative her entire life, dabbling in all sorts of mediums. She is currently studying to get her MFA at Houston Christian University with a focus on painting.
Education:
Liberty University, BFA in Graphic Design, 2021, Summa cum laude
Houston Christian University, MFA Painting, current student, expected graduation 2025
Juried Shows:
“Rising Eyes of Texas” 2024, Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport, TX
"Show off Your Art" 2023, KBM Art Gallery, Riverside, CA
"Aqueous Open International" 2023, Pittsburgh Watercolor Society
Other Accomplishments:
Published Illustrated Book, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" 2021
Artist in Residence, 2023, Sienna Ranch Baptist Church, Missouri City, TX, The artist in residence position included one large work of art (see five paintings in the "Book of John" series) and community adult teaching.