Christine Ries
Nature's Seduction, 2017
Materials: Oil on canvas diptych, 60" x 80"
Location at Summa Health: Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Tower, Akron Campus (141 N. Forge St.), ground floor, near Employee Entrance
This captivating landscape diptych, a work composed of two interconnected panels, draws inspiration from a scenic vista within one of Summit County’s Metroparks. It showcases Christine Ries’ distinctive approach to color, using unexpected combinations along with her signature technique of flattening forms to create an abstracted space. The viewer may first recognize familiar natural elements such as yellow blossoms or moss-covered rocks before stepping back to experience the larger composition. From a distance, the interplay of light and dark and the flowing areas of color, particularly the cascading pinks, become more apparent. Through this approach, Ries continues the legacy of Impressionism in landscape painting, infusing the scene with a sense of movement and vitality.
The transition from a darker foreground to a radiant, sunlit background evokes a feeling of hope, making it especially fitting for a healthcare environment. Beyond its visual appeal, the landscape holds personal significance for the artist, recalling memories of her early childhood. Ries contrasts vibrant, patchy areas of color with delicate, floating lines that suggest tree trunks and branches in hues of white, blue, gray, and black. These shapes hint at the vast space that lies beyond the depicted forest. At the junction of the two panels, dazzling sunlight invites the viewer into the scene, creating a sense of journey and discovery.
On Holden Pond, 2018
Materials: Oil on canvas, diptych, 56” x 84”
Location at Summa Health: Juve Family Behavioral Health Pavilion, ground floor, main lobby
This serene diptych transports viewers to the landscape of Holden Pond, located within the Holden Arboretum in Lake and Geauga counties. Composed of two joined panels, this format allows Christine Ries to work on a large scale while maintaining a sense of portability and energy. The connection between the panels is reinforced by soft diagonal lines that follow the edge of the pond and are brought to life through the artist’s bold use of color.
Ries, who describes herself as a colorist, is most deeply drawn to the expressive potential of color within a scene. Her paintings serve as a form of visual journaling or life documentation, representing locations that hold personal meaning. Though she begins with reference photographs, the emotional impact of color is what drives her creative process and shapes the final image.
In On Holden Pond, the foreground gently fades as the purplish-blue water leads the eye into the middle ground. There, bright lily pads and flowering grasses stand out in warm tones of orange and soft white, offering an immediate and tactile sense of place. Layers of violet-toned grasses stretch horizontally across the panels, drawing the viewer deeper into the scene. On the far right, bright green foliage and a yellow-orange tree heighten the composition, forming a visual arc that begins in the lower left corner with deep blues. This use of complementary color relationships strengthens the sense of movement and balance.
Through her skillful handling of color, Ries creates a space that feels immersive and reflective. What may seem at first like a traditional landscape is revealed, on closer inspection, to be an emotional journey that invites the viewer to linger, look again, and feel the presence of the place.
Willow, 2016
Materials: acrylic on canvas, 36” x 36"
Location at Summa: second floor, green neighborhood, wall adjacent to information desk opposite bridge
This work was acquired for the Summa Health System — Akron Campus Wayfinding Project.
About this work
From the very beginning of the artistic process, when a painter selects the surface on which to work (whether canvas, wood, board, glass, or metal) and determines its dimensions, design elements are already at play. A square format, like the one used in Willow, is somewhat unconventional in historical terms. Many earlier paintings, especially those on wood, were longer in one direction due to how wooden planks were cut. Choosing a square creates a quiet emphasis. Even in classical times, painted manuscripts on square sheets of parchment stood apart from the norm.
In Willow, Christine Ries applies a subtle logic to the square shape. Willows often grow in a way that is as wide as they are tall. The format reinforces the natural symmetry of the tree’s form. Ries may not consciously highlight this choice, but it reflects her sensitivity to the subject on multiple levels and her attention to detail in both content and composition.
This acrylic painting celebrates the willow’s water-loving nature, textured foliage, and irregular branching form. Ries’ brushwork is expressive and energetic, capturing the elongated, feathery motion of willow leaves as they respond to a gentle breeze. She defines the edges of the tree canopy with jagged, animated strokes. While green is the dominant color in keeping with the Green Neighborhood’s theme, Ries modulates it with yellow, brown, and flashes of orange, highlighting the shaggy quality of the leaves and their sense of exuberant growth.
Look closely at the center of the composition and you will find unexpected sky-blue shapes in the dense foliage. These areas of negative space between leaf and branch provide contrast and airiness where the canopy might otherwise feel heaviest.
As in much of her work, Ries delights in color. A bold patch of orange appears in the left background, perhaps another tree or a sign of approaching autumn. Elsewhere, deep purples in the trunk and intense blue-black shadows on the water give the piece a striking balance. Altogether, Willow becomes more than a landscape. It is a portrait of a living tree, animated by wind, light, and air.
About the Artist
Christine Ries, a graduate of the University of Akron with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, has made her mark in the Ohio art scene through extensive exhibitions. Her work has been featured in notable shows such as the "Faces of Akron" exhibition at Summit Artspace and the members’ exhibition at Akron Soul Train, where she also served as Operations Manager. In this role, she was dedicated to fostering connections between diverse artists and the community.
Ries’ paintings are represented by galleries in Akron and Cleveland, and her work is included in prestigious corporate collections, such as the PNC Bank headquarters in Pittsburgh and the B.F. Goodrich headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Where to See More of Christine Ries’ Work
Ries continues to exhibit her work widely across Ohio and is represented by galleries in Akron and Cleveland. Her pieces are also held in corporate collections in Pittsburgh and Charlotte, N.C. To learn more, visit her website.
The Healing Arts at Summa Health