Self portrait as a shape shifter
Christine Baker
Self portrait as a shape shifter [detail] 2026
Self-portrait
Acrylic on canvas
45 x 35 cm
About the Artwork
In this painting, I use acrylic paint in an intuitive and figurative way to create layers of mood and emotion, as well as an evolving sense of place and time. Dad grew up along the Frankland River, Western Australia, with many cousins who liked to go fishing. When I was a kid, I overheard my dad saying that Aunt Rose would get very upset if fish were caught by the full moon, as she said they were shape shifters from the little people.
As an adult, I have thought about shape shifting from a psychological point of view, where I harden up if threatened but soften up to people who need empathy. I find similarities between Aunt Rose’s telling of cultural stories and myself painting.
About the Artist
Christine Baker is a Western Australian artist who is passionate about nurturing creativity and individual ideas in the minds of future artists: a former TAFE lecturer, she now is a volunteer teacher for children aged 9 to 13 years. A lover of vivid colour, her influences range from Ken Done to Georges Seurat.
Christine’s work has appeared in several painting and sculpture prize shows, including The Percivals (2024), the Bunbury Southwest Art Now (2018, 2020), City of Busselton Art Award (2015, 2019), and Albany Sculpture in the Harbour (2017), among others.