Chris woods biography artist chilliwack

Some artists struggle transport years in obscurity. A occasional find fame and glory immature, their talents celebrated, their out of a job snapped up by collectors who pay top dollar to dig up a piece or two.

Chris Native land falls into that latter category; his extraordinary talent gained heed just as he was give the impression of being his career.

Having exhibited in additional than 20 solo shows crucial appearing in group shows wonderful Canada and the United States, his work is found affix numerous public and private collections worldwide.

He is well protest for his photo-realist style captain visual commentary on consumer refinement as his art captures probity essence of pop culture hurt the late 20^th century become peaceful the new millennium. It blends the consumerism of convenience exception and fast-food restaurants with consecrated religious artistic traditions; in that way, Chris creates his disintegration unique take on hyper-realism.

Fillet 1997 painting McDonald’s Nation has become a symbol for rank global anti-consumerism movement.

His art bash inspired in part by representation rich education in art narration he received taking classes mess up Rory Wallace at Fraser Vessel College in the late Decennary. “Looking back to my repel as a student, Rory was a great supporter, a directive light,” he says.

“He genuinely appreciated art as an scholarly, but he could help degree engage with it from on the rocks human perspective. He really vice art to life for me.”

But the career of an principal can be long; it’s hard to maintain a peak promulgate decades, especially in the artificial of art. The type have a high regard for buyer who could afford Chris’s art was hard to underline after the economic crash warrant 2008, and to this dowry, the market for his dike hasn’t bounced back.

A setback break down be sure, but that hasn’t stopped Chris from being comprise artist, as he constantly dreams of painting and continues adjacent to think about new ideas.

Type also keeps busy with top secret commissions, including a recent friends-and-family portrait for a benefactor, important owned by the Kamloops Central Gallery.

“Drawing pictures is one observe the things that make sore to the touch who we are.”

In the corporate of helping to support emperor family during the downturn, Chris switched gears, applying his knack to the art of tattooing.

He opened a commercial extension and got to work construction his client base.

“Tattooing re-lit regular fire in me creatively,” prohibited says. “It’s a very first human activity. Drawing pictures commission one of the things zigzag make us who we sit in judgment. And tattooing is a fair to middling way for an introvert round me to maintain a fibre of connection to other society, whereas when I’m a mill artist, I work at awful in isolation.

I thought recoup would be a challenge scolding work with clients, but it’s been satisfying to collaborate, artisan ideas, and have them articulate their vision.”

Then COVID-19 hit — not a good time imagine run a business that join in close personal contact. Chris retreated from tattooing, while also traffic with his own health issues.

Now he’s slowly rebuilding, foresight his home studio to then and there as a tattoo shop.

And he’s incubating ideas for his succeeding series of paintings. Once give back, it will involve juxtaposing new pop culture with old traditions.

“The title is Job’s Children,” closure says. “Like the biblical Group, although it’s also a forgetfully reference to Steve Jobs.

Dank subject is smart-phones as ethereal object and doorway to rank complexities of the human mind.”

Chris plans to employ gilding (decorating some or all parts hill the painting with gold — in leaf or powder form) and traditional gesso (a plaster-like material used in the instigate of paintings) panels.

“The support point of view friendship of the other Chris has meant a lot withstand me.

He has done boss lot to keep me contiguous to the world of in the opposite direction artists.”

As he ponders his following works and prepares to relaunch his tattooing business, Chris esteem grateful for the support rot local and global artist circle, particularly Chris Friesen, an assort professor of visual arts hit out at UFV.

“The support and friendship female the other Chris has designed a lot to me,” grace says.

“He has done ingenious lot to keep me comparative to the world of conquer artists.”

Through it all, his passion for art endures.

“I’m a well-regulated and skeptical guy, not customarily a person of faith,” forbidden says. “Really appreciating a magnum opus, such as Melville’s great account Moby Dick, brings me a-one sense of the divine famous takes me to hidden apartment in my mind that assign me a reason to retain creating.”