Christy Stallop’s oil paintings are vignettes of Texas and the Southwest, depicted through subjects including grackles, bandanas and local landmarks, and filtered through the bordertown influence of El Paso, TX, where she grew up. Best known for her lovable grackles—frequently costumed as mariachis or luchador wrestlers—Stallop imbues her emotionally intelligent sense of humor into her work. “Sometimes you need something that makes you smile,” she says.
Stallop refined her painting technique over years of teaching art, which is evident in the formal qualities of her work. Her ability to render her whimsical subjects so richly grounds her paintings, allowing viewers to connect with her subjects in an unexpected way.
Though her norm is working with oil on a panel at her easel in her studio, Stallop’s work has also appeared on billboards, in murals, as giant grackle sculptures and most recently as NFTs.
Stallop’s work has sold to collectors across the globe and can be found in galleries across the country. She currently resides in Austin, TX, with her husband and studio cats, Loaf and Carrot.
