Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dorte Christjansen attended California State University at Long Beach (UCLB). At UCLB, she received her Bachelor's of Art in Drawing and Painting and her Master's of Art in Illustration.

Christjansen's lifelong interest in watercolors and her thirty-year work in batik and gold leaf are the mediums she has chosen to express the transcendent light and color she finds in her surroundings. Her inspiration is drawn from the environment, its landscapes, waterscapes, informal gardens, botanical imagery and household animals. Japanese and European craftsmanship, imaginative pattern, design and composition have significantly influenced her work.

"The art of batik is a process using multiple layers of melted wax for creating images on fabric…[batik] technique has been practiced through time and throughout the world. Wax, or other resists, are applied to the silk cloth to repel dye. Unwaxed areas absorb dyes…image develops gradually by alternating the wax and dye process…wax is removed by ironing the fabric between sheets of paper. I paint the dyes on to the silk as if they were watercolors." -Dorte Christjansen.

Dorte Christjansen's watercolors and batiks have been exhibited locally and nationally in galleries, museums and alternative facilities. Southern California solo and group exhibition venues include: Twenty-Nine Palms Gallery, Palos Verdes Art Center Gallery; Los Angeles Museum of Art (rental gallery), Downey Museum of Art, Newport Harbor Art Museum; Biola University; and exhibitions juried by Henry Hopkins and Kent Twitchell. She has also exhibited at the Salem Academy, North Carolina. Dorte has been represented by the Four Oaks Gallery in Pasadena, CA and Eileen Kremen Gallery, Fullerton, CA.

Christjansen's work is found in public collections such as the Downey Museum of Art, CA; Betty Clooney Foundation, Long Beach, CA.; The Beverly Hills Country Club, CA. Private American collections: Cher's daughter, Chastity Bono; former President & CEO of KCET; and Earhart Collection. Private international collections: Mr.& Mrs. H. Mousten, Denmark; Mr. & Mrs. O. Gregersen, Denmark; and Ms.Christen Egebjerg, Denmark.

"My work has been included in several books and has been the subject of local, national; international reviews and articles." Selected books: "Exploring Visual Design," first and second editions, Joseph Gatto; Albert Porter, Jack Sellack; "Expressive Watercolor Techniques," Albert Porter; "The Fiber Arts Design Book," Hastings House Publishers, New York. Selected articles and reviews: "International Textilkunst," Germany; "Collectibles Magazine"; "Fiber Arts," volume 6, No.2, review by Caroline Dyer; Long Beach Press Telegram. "Through continual exploration of wax resist techniques, Dorte Christjansen has developed a unique approach that involves multiple layerings of wax and dye…the result is a painting style of great beauty, complexity, and subtlety." -Susan Louise Moyer, "Silk Paintings for Fashion and Fine Art," Watson-Guptil publications.