Daily Inspiration: Meet Christopher Clark

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christopher Clark. 

Hi Christopher, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve identified as an artist my entire life, as long as I can remember. I grew up watching Bob Ross on public TV, and I’d sit at the coffee table following along with my crayons. While my family was always very supportive of my artistic endeavors, the world at large typically warns people not to become a “starving artist”, or to go find a “real job”, which I did for many years, doing everything from retail, real estate, and graphic design. I ultimately made the decision to pursue my dream of becoming a professional artist while still working at a marketing firm, and on nights and weekends, I painted and started selling my work online. After several years of doing this, I built up enough work to sustain myself full-time, I quit my job, traveled around Italy for a while, then returned to the US to paint full time, which I’ve been doing ever since. And while my income was at first a humble beginning, after several years I make more now than I did at any “real job” I’ve ever had. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
No career change is ever smooth, nor is pursuing your dreams. It was a very emotional risk leaving my cushy desk job life behind, but ultimately, it’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I started small by selling enough work online to just pay my bills, and I lived very humbly with as few expenses as possible. But I have to say I never encountered any severely rocky times where I wasn’t sure if I could pay the rent. The more I painted, the more I sold, and I always felt secure with the income I was making, and very satisfied with my artistic lifestyle of just painting every day from my home studio. Over the years there’s been all kinds of drama working with galleries and publishers, doing shows, and meeting deadlines, but at this point, it’s all part of my career and I consider it par for the course. I love my job every day, and it was worth any risks, struggles, or sacrifices I underwent. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have an impressionist oil-painting background, and my favorite era of art, in general, is the late 1800s. I feel like this is an era where light and brushwork were being fully explored in new ways. Every time I discover a new artist of that I love, if they’re not alive now, chances are they painted in the late 1800s. (Sargent, Renoir, Manet, Monet, Degas, Zorn, Fechin, Turner, to name a few). So, I’ve adapted a lot of their techniques and approaches to my work. My first consideration in every painting is light. If the light isn’t great on my subject, I don’t like the subject. I also attempt to capture a fleeting moment in time, using loose brushwork, implying detail with a few clever brush strokes rather than painting every single blade of grass or strand of hair. This older style of painting blends well with more contemporary subjects like sci-fi, fantasy, or pop culture, and I think that is what sets me apart. 

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I remember several Christmases when I was young, waking up and running to the tree and seeing all the presents under there that “Santa” (my parents) had placed there overnight. I also gasped with wonder at seeing that the milk and cookies that we had left out were gone, replaced by a note from “Santa” (my dad) saying thank you for the cookies, that he and his reindeer enjoyed them very much. 

Contact Info:

• Email: chris@christopherclark.com
• Website: www.amazingartexpo.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/christopherclarkart
• Facebook: facebook.com/christopherclarkart
• Youtube: youtube.com/christopherclarkart
• Other: https://abendgallery.com/artist/christopher-clark