It is often said that greatness is forged through adversity, and the rise of the talented young artist, Christy Works-Boutte exemplifies this philosophy. A childhood illness led to Christy's loss of hearing at the age of one. Subsequently, many observers and critics of her work attribute her rapid artistic maturity to this loss of hearing and the many obstacles she has had to overcome. Christy's determination as a young girl and unwavering belief in herself has continued throughout her career, and led to many successes as an artist.

Christy's first exposure to school and art classes began at the age of three when she attended Chinchuba Institute for the Deaf in New Orleans. However, her desire to attend a normal hearing school led Christy to St. Cletus in Gretna, and later to graduate from Archbishop Blenk High School where she continued to develop as an artist. Her love of and passion for art grew while attending the world-renowned Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida. There she developed a strong artistic style, and in 2000, became the school's first deaf student to receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Christy's love of vibrant colors and the ability to create harmony using thick oil paints has become a trademark of her paintings. Being chosen by her hometown, Gretna, Louisiana, as the artist for the Gretna Heritage Festival is one of the highlights of her career. She has enjoyed creating the posters for the festival every year since 2003. Since then, she has gone on to create posters for the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, The International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, The Jean Lafitte Seafood Festival, and other including the Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival which was named the “Best Festival Poster” of 2008 by the Louisiana Association of Fair and Festivals. Her distinctive style can be seen throughout her work including her “Love That...” series, many festival posters, variations on the Fleur de Lis and other New Orleans and Louisiana inspired pieces. All of Christy's paintings continue to be works from the heart where she states they are “from my heart to yours.” Christy has been blessed with significantly increased popularity in recent years. To see what projects this busy artist is currently involved in, please sign up for her free email newsletter on the front page of this website.

http://www.artbychristy.com