Christina Hankins was born in Connecticut in 1970. Her family lived in various places on the east coast, until finally settling in Southern California where she grew up. Hankins went to U.C. Irvine and earned a bachelors degree in studio art. While there, she had the opportunity to study under such nationally known artists as Barbara Krueger, Gifford Meyers, and Ed Bereal. Christina went on to earn a Masters Degree from Claremont University in education and spent seven years as an elementary educator at an integrated arts school in Montclair, California. Eventually she decided to take time off from her teaching career to raise her four children and to focus on her own artistic endeavors.

Christina began her career in southern California. In between changing diapers and parent teacher conferences Christina managed to enter her work into various juried shows. She eventually landed a duel show at the Avatar Gallery in Pomona, California, then on to a solo exhibition at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, California. Christina also took part in many group exhibitions at the SOHO gallery in Pomona, The Da Center for the Arts, and The Claremont Forum. Christina later became part of a group of rotating artists chosen to exhibit at the Southern California locations of Borders.

In the summer of 2002, Christina and her husband moved their family from southern California to the Minneapolis area. After the relocation, Christina resumed painting, and began to show her work in the upper mid-west. Christina has participated in many gallery, juried shows, and art fairs. She has also exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair, and has begun to create a following away from the California landscape.

The content of Christina’s work is derived from self analysis and observation of the world around her. Her images portray women taking stock of their environment. Some are images of the fleeting quiet moments with children others are of the calm before the storm. All of her images convey her emotions with color, texture, and a busyness that reflects her full life.