Chris Blake: Artist
Award-winning artist Chris Blake was born in the UK and came to Australia as a 10 pound pom when he was seventeen. His early life in Australia was in the Queensland bush where he did a range of different jobs from cowboy, stock-man, fencer, a stint on the railways and cartoonist (for the amusement of his workmates). This early knockabout life was characte
r building and it instilled in him a deep affection for the Australian spirit and the people of the bush. Fatherhood and work in Melbourne saw his art put on hold for many years, although he did keep up with drawing skills. In those days, it was more to amuse the kids. In 1978, he took up the brushes and painted with many local Melbourne artists and art groups. Moving back to Queensland in the early 90's he became a poplar art tutor with the newly-formed Caloundra Art Coop. In time, Chris became a well known and respected tutor and exhibitor. He won many art awards, particularly with his landscapes: the Open Awards at Maleny, Hervey Bay, Nanango, Murgon, Sunshine Coast Immanuel Art Exhibition and the annual Pastel Society of Australia exhibition in Brisbane. He has been a Master Pastellist and tutor in the PSA since 2004. Chris is best known for his vibrant landscapes, townscapes and marine scenes which feature almost luminous qualities. He describes himself as a tonal colorist, in which he pushes tones and textures to extremities whilst still retaining the integrity of the subject and intensity of colour. He is also happy to sometimes use flashes of colour which we may not expect to see in nature - yellows and green in skies, pinks in the soil, reds and purple in the shadows. These give a rich depth to his paintings that invite you to see more in the natural world around you. While his favorite subjects include outback landscapes, marine scenes and figures in interesting townscapes, he has such an eclectic range of subject matter that it is difficult to pin him down to just the one genre. He has be known to produce large and rather different paintings of flowers, birds, portraits and domestic fish. Whatever it is, it is usually exciting and dramatic. Chris has now been painting and teaching for over twenty years. He is a multi-award winning artist, working in pastel, oils, acrylics,and pen-and-wash. A Master Pastellist with the Pastel Society of Australia, his work can be seen on his website www.chrisblakeart.com, on Facebook, The Blake Studio and privately at his home studio in Landsborough, Queensland by appointment [07 5439 9558] or mobILE 0400 288 796.
