Join us at The Rendezvous from 6-9pm for gallery night featuring local artist Chris Buckley.
Artist Statement
Chris Buckley grew up in England. She created her first piece of art age 2 on her mom’s freshly painted walls. Needless to say, any consequences that were given did not dampen her creative instincts. She went on to study nursing at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington. She was a good nurse, but a better artist. She ended up working as a graphic designer at The Wellcome Trust, a leading London based charity. As she didn’t go to art school she considers The Wellcome Trust job her lucky break. She has a lot of people to thank for showing faith in her untrained skills and for giving her the opportunity to learn from talented graphic designers. She immigrated to Seattle in the late 90s where she spent her time bringing up four active, demanding, incredible kids. During the early years of motherhood, art became her sanctuary. Even though she still has one active, demanding incredible kid at home, she is grateful that she gets to spend a little more time doing art now.
Themes and Reflections
My art reflects many aspects of my life. My inspiration is both reflective and random. I create projects that enable me to experiment, explore and evolve, helping to refine my craft. I have produced a mixture of non-representational imagery, cityscapes, and figurative art. Sometimes when I paint I just simply begin, with no preconceived ideas of the end result. I try to find balance with what appears on the canvas, color, form, line, shape, texture, light vs dark, and in that process, I instinctively recognize when it feels complete. My work is biographical in nature, displaying my connection to England and Europe. When I first came to Seattle I was homesick and missed London. I slowly fell in love with the city, from its unique skyline, and yes, even its rain! Exploring these subjects in my paintings has helped Seattle feel more like home. Art is my visual diary embodying all that excites me about the world around me, past and present.
Construct Compose Create
My experience as a graphic designer and a painter/illustrator has lead me to explore the infinite possibilities of digital art. My art collection – Construct Compose Create expresses the joy I find in the richness of my surroundings and life experience. Shapes, textures, and vibrant colors come to life in the structures and images that are my subject matter. I approach each creation as a painter, trying to bring depth and texture to the images that I work on, and always, dramatic color.