Author Archives: Chris

Photographic Mixed Media Artist

7 Bests of 2011 #2 – A love affair

January 2, 2012 by Chris | 3 Comments

I fell in love with a new (to me) technique – polymer photogravure.

I decided that with all of the left-brain work I was doing as a facilitator in Artist Inc. I needed to reward myself with a creative workshop. I was specifically looking for a workshop outside my discipline of photography, but when a short polymer photogravure workshop close to home presented itself I couldn’t resist. I’m not sure how it will present itself in my future work, but I know I am in love with this technique. Gravure employs so many elements that I have been desperately missing since giving up darkroom work – chief of them the tactile involvement and constant decision making that continues until the print is resolved. And another plus is that its historical significance photographically places it squarely within my central area of focus! (I will write more in a later post about photo gravure itself.)

Thank you Debe Riley for the wonderful instruction and the perfect technique to present images from Guanajuato.

Photogravure taken of furnishings in Museo de Gene Byron, Marfil, Guanajuato

El Fusilado, Valenciana, Guanajuato

I’m looking for new workshop opportunities for 2012. Do you have any favorites?

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7 Bests of 2011

January 1, 2012 by Chris | 3 Comments

As each year comes to a close and a new year begins I try to reflect on my favorite moments of the past year so I can incorporate more of all that is good into my life. So as I am getting settled in our winter home in Guanajuato, Mexico I will tell you the bests of 2011.

#1 Guanajuato, Mexico

Kyle and I were able to escape a good portion of winter (a bonus in itself!) and spend a glorious six weeks in the amazing city of Guanjuato, Mexico! We had a restful and rejuvenating time, made great new friends, and especially enjoyed spending time with and getting to know better the incomparable Cheri and Allen Cetto. They quickly became friends that feel more like family and have already had a profound effect on my life. In fact we had such a fabulous time I am currently typing from the airport in Houston, awaiting my departure to return to Guanajuato for another sabbatical in our favorite winter time city (and many meals with the Cettos!).

A couple of our favorite people. Allen & Cheri Cetto!

Our beautiful street in Guanajuato

If you are in the area between now and February 5 drop us a line we will be happy to meet you for a margarita!

Check back tomorrow and everyday this week for the rest of the best!

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Sneak Peek of the Week, Dec 26

December 26, 2011 by Chris | 0 Comments

This time next week we will be in our beautiful January town of Guanajuato, Mexico. (Be sure to look for next’s week pick of the week!) To prepare for our trip and our subsequent shows when we return to the states, I have been working away in the studio. I am so pleased with the new large pieces, I couldn’t pick just one to show you!

5 large pieces drying

Stunner waiting for spring!

If you are in the market for a large piece, please let me know, and I will send you better pictures when they are completed. These will find homes very quickly, often the large pieces are spoken for before they are even dry!

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The same river?

December 21, 2011 by Chris | 2 Comments

“You cannot step into the same river twice.”

This year Kyle and I drove the country from Florida to the tip-top corner of Washington, passing by thousands of miles of various terrain. Everything from marshes to mountains to the “empty” spaces that speak so much to me. It’s at these subtle, nondescript locations all across the country that I take my photographs. So imagine the wonder when I printed Mile Marker 225 and thought to myself, “This looks too familiar. Have I printed it before?”

I found the answer to be yes and no. Searching through my files of finished pieces, I found Mile Marker 181. Out of the almost infinite number of places I could shoot, I was so drawn to this particular spot that I shot it twice – but in two different years. The angle is a little different, the fields are in different states, but it is a nearly identical shot. I suppose I was so drawn to this particular vista that I needed to see it again. Mark the changes. Check on the river.

Mile Marker 225, 35x51

Mile Marker 181, 35x51

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Pick of the week, Dec 19

December 19, 2011 by Chris | 0 Comments

One of my favorite things about this time of year is gathering around the dining table (actually one of my favorites any time of year!). So I thought I would share this beautiful dining room in Flower Mound, Texas with you. I know this table is filled with love and merriment. Thank you Christi and Matt for allowing me to share it!

Dining room

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Picture of the week, Dec 12

December 12, 2011 by Chris | 0 Comments

reflective (rɪˈflɛktɪv)

— adj
1. characterized by quiet thought or contemplation
2. capable of reflecting: a reflective surface
3. produced by reflection

Landscape photograph on gold painted steel

Mile Marker 219, 23" x 35"

Please contact me to check availability and pricing.

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Words! Words! Words!

December 7, 2011 by Chris | 3 Comments

I LOVE words! As a child I was called alternately both a book-worm and a chatter box. I come by it naturally, my grandfather was quite a wordsmith, and we would play the dictionary game after his sermons, racing to his office to look up the words whose meanings we didn’t know. I still love to play the dictionary game, sometimes spending hours skipping from one word to another in the dictionary, fascinated not only by the meaning but the etymology.

So when challenged recently to identify the thread running through all of my artwork in four words I was intrigued. And as I began to identify my four words I realized that the words I picked describe my creation process, not necessarily the experience of the viewer. Often we need the mirror of another to really understand our own artwork so I queried some friends. The words I received are fascinating and have lead to a great round of the dictionary game. (I am publishing the words as I received them from my friends, repeated words were on multiple lists.)

Which words on this list resonate with you or what words would you add?

[column width=”32%” padding=”3%”]

Reverent

reflective

contemplative

insightful

ageless

contemplative

serene

ethereal

mesmerizing

alluring

meditative

enraptured

peaceful

subtle

expansive

evocative

quiet

thoughtful

deliberate

[/column] [column width=”30%” padding=”5%”]

inventive

minimalistic

nostalgic

aesthetic

narrative

expert

seamless

efficacy

integrity

light

space

open

equivocal

solitude

introspection

magnetic

reverent

[/column] [column width=”30%” padding=”0″]

replete

whisper

luminosity

connection

hushed

presence

Limitless

Expansive

Adventure

Free

Poetic

Reflective

Subtle

space

silence

serenity

whisper

[/column]

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Picture of the week – Dec 5

December 5, 2011 by Chris | 0 Comments

“In the telling and retelling the stories of our past, the events in question become stereotyped and selectively distorted as they become embedded in our collective memory.” Arthur Neal