Christina Bothwell creates fantastic beings and strange creatures that inspire feelings ranging from fascination to morbid curiosity. Most often made from cast glass and clay, they are sometimes fitted out with found objects that serve as limbs and other body parts. Sources as varied as antique dolls, taxidermy animals and small furniture parts contribute to her work on both a conceptual and material basis.

Looking at one of Bothwell’s pregnant mermaids or corpulent dogs wearing dresses, one has the feeling they are peering into areas of life that are rarely available for viewing. Yet, rather than being repellent, her creations are vulnerable and strangely compelling. Viewing a Bothwell sculpture one is drawn to stare in the furtive way we study those who are different.

In a world where almost everyone adheres to conventions of surface beauty Christina Bothwell is fascinated with what lies beneath the surface. In her words she “tries to capture the qualities of the unseen and express a sense of wonder in daily existence” She uses “images of babies, children and animals as subject matter as they embody the essence of vulnerability” which is an underlying theme in her work.

Originally trained as a painter at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, she began teaching herself to work with clay in 1995. Her work with glass began in 1999 after taking a workshop in glass casting in Corning NY.

Bothwell has won numerous scholarships and grants including a Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant, a Pennsylvania Council for the Arts Grant and a Full Scholarship to the Pilchuck Glass School. Her sculpture is in the permanent collection of the Racine Art Museum, Racine Wisconsin.