MY STORY : From Childhood, New Age To Christian Artist

The Early Years

My name is Christina Hallinan, and I am a Canadian Christian and Wildlife oil painter. But my art is so much more than paint on canvas—It is an expression of redemption, hope, and the healing power of faith. Every brush stroke I make is an act of worship; a way of praising the Creator who rescued me from darkness and gave me a new purpose: to help heal and inspire others through the beauty of His creation.

My journey to where I stand today has been anything but easy. I grew up in a difficult childhood, one marked by silence that went deeper than words. I suffered from selective mutism, a condition that left me unable to speak to anyone besides my immediate family, trapped inside myself while the world moved on around me. The silence shaped me in profound ways- it taught me to observe, to feel deeply, and to find other ways to communicate when words failed me. Looking back, I believe God was already preparing me to speak through my art, even then.

I was raised in a Catholic Church, and while those early seeds of faith were planted in my heart, I eventually walked away. Like many young people searching for meaning, I found myself lost during my teenage years. I turned to drinking and drugs, trying to fill the void that only seemed to grow larger with every attempt to numb the pain. I was hurting, searching, and desperate for something—anything—that would make me feel whole.

As a young adult, I wandered down what seemed like a promising path at the time. I embraced the New Age movement and witchcraft, believing I had found spiritual truth and personal power. For awhile it felt like I was in control, like I had discovered secrets that others didn’t know. But beneath the surface, I was still empty. All the rituals, the spiritual practices, crystals, sage, cards and the search for enlightenment couldn’t touch the deep brokenness in my soul. Life began unraveling rapidly. It wasn’t long before I understood that the spirit guides, ancestors and angels people on this path speak of are demons, they just wear masks. They wear masks because if you seen them for what they are, you would run to God. They leave the masks on until you are far enough away from the One True God, till you are defenseless and weak. Than the night terrors begin, the isolation, the fear. Nobody goes down this path to do harm and darkness, they just want answers that were never given. The enemy plays off of this longing, giving you something that seems promising, while walking you further and further away from the truth. The arrogance, the ego get out of hand, and you no longer think you need God. Exactly where the enemy wants us.

Jesus Stopped Me In My Tracks

Everything changed in 2017 when I had a Near Death Experience (NDE). In that moment—when I came face to face with Jesus—my entire understanding of reality shifted. I didn’t see a distant judgmental deity. I saw love incarnate, mercy personified, and the One who had been pursuing my heart all along, even when I was running in the opposite direction. He was beautiful. He stood in front of me at first, face to face. In what felt like a void, He was the only light. This I didn’t understand until years later was the outer darkness of Hell. As I stood in front of Him, He was beautiful, though I couldn’t see his face. It was covered in light, the most magnificent light I have ever seen. Through it I could faintly see His robe and hair. I was so lost, I didn’t recognize who I was looking at at first. We stood in silence for a minute, until he raised his arms, showing me his hands a wrists. I seen the wounds, on his wrists, light pouring out of them too. He was pure light. Once I seen this, I knew exactly who I was looking at. The one I shunned, denied, twisted for years and years, in front of me, showing me who he was. I knew it was Jesus. I gasped and said out loud, God! As soon as I did, he transfigured larger than a mountain, while remaining as Jesus, All creation was coming from Him, animals, plants, stars, everything. I witnessed the Trinity. All separate, All one. There was fear, but He was not trying to make me afraid. Instead it was fear of “my God, what have I done”. I cry as I type this out. I cry everytime I picture it. I realized He had never left me. I left Him. I was breaking his heart. He never stopped loving me. Never stopped pursuing me. He was patient. I will never leave His side again. He saved me that day, in a way that I couldn’t even grasp at that time. He let me walk to the edge of hell, and hell is real, demons, are real. So is Jesus and Jesus is God. It is never too late, no matter how far you have walked away, He will embrace you. This transformed me. I became a born again Christian, not through religious obligation, but through a genuine, life-altering revelation of who Jesus truly is.

My Artistic Calling

Today, my art is my testimony. As a wildlife artist, I pour my gratitude onto every canvas, capturing the magnificent creatures and landscapes that declare God’s glory. As a Christian painter, I paint what He wants from me, including Our Savior as I saw Him. Each painting is an act of praise—to Him and to His breathtaking creation. When I paint the deer, moose, wolves, owls, and landscapes of misty and mossy forests, autumn scenes and the play of light through the trees, I am declaring that the same God who designed such beauty also designed me, redeemed me, and gave me a voice after years of silence.

I am blessed to spend my days with my wonderful husband who shares my beliefs in our Lord, and our furbaby, fishing, painting, and spending time in praise of God and feeling blessed for every breath I take. If you feel trapped, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that light is the light of the world, Jesus Christ, Yeshua.

I share my story openly because I know there are others who feel trapped in their own darkness—whether it’s the silence of anxiety, the chains of addiction, or the emptiness of searching in all the wrong places. I want my life and my art to become a beacon of hope. If God can take a girl who who couldn’t speak, who wandered through witchcraft and substance abuse, and transform her into an artist who celebrates His creation—He can do the same for you.

My prayer is that through my paintings, people will not only see the beauty of the natural world but will also catch a glimpse of the One who created it. I hope to help heal the brokenhearted and inspire others to believe that no one is beyond redemption. Every day I pick up my brush, I am reminded that I am a new creation—and there is no greater joy than using the gifts He has given me to point back at Him.

Thank you for being a part of my journey. Welcome to my gallery of grace.

Wildlife Oil Painter and Storyteller of Redemption,

In His love and service.

Matthew 5:16

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”