INTRODUCTION 

      CHRIS POWELL HAS BEEN PHOTOGRAPHING SINCE HIS EARLY TEENS AND HAS CONTINUED TO DRAW, PAINT, SCULPT, AND BUILD SINCE EARLY CHILDHOOD.  HE ATTENDED THE SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE WITH A RICH HISTORY OF NOW WELL KNOWN ARTISTS AS ATTENDEES OVER THE YEARS.  SFAI  NEVER TAUGHT TECHNIQUE OR STYLE IN THE MAKING OF ARTWORK AS TO NOT TAINT ONES OWN GROWTH IN THEIR APPROACH TO FINDING THEIR "HAND" IN THE DISCIPLINES THEY WERE STUDYING. HE GRADUATED WITH A BFA IN PHOTOGRAPHY BUT STUDIED IN MANY FIELDS.

       IN ADULTHOOD HE PURSUED HIS ART WHICH LEAD TO VARIOUS DEALERS AND SHOWS IN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE. CHRIS WORKED AS A FABRICATOR FOR GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM FOR A TIME IN NEW YORK CITY.  HE HAS ALSO BEEN A CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSIONER FOR MENDOCINO COUNTY.  HE ACTED AND WORKED IN MOTION PICTURES OVER THE YEARS. HIS CURIOSITY AND INTERESTS ARE WIDE AND VARIED BUT VERY SPECIFIC IN TECHNIQUE AND EXECUTION OF HIS WORK AS SEEN CLEARLY IN HIS PHOTOGRAPHY AND DRAWING SERIES.  

PHOTOGRAPHY   

     WHAT MAY BE PERCEIVED  AS AN IMBALANCED IMAGE OR AN OBSTRUCTED VIEW OF DETAIL IS ON PURPOSE.  HEADS AND BODIES CUT OFF BY HIS FRAMING OR BLURRED DETAILS IN THE PHOTO MAKE IT UNIQUE AND CURIOUS TO THE VIEWER.  THE ANGLES USED TO SHOOT ARE EXTREME IN SOME CASES.  CHRIS NEVER CROPS HIS IMAGES WHICH ITSELF CREATES THE TENSION OF IMPERFECTION TO THE VIEWER.   AFTER ADJUSTMENTS IN ONES OWN FIXED IDEAS OF WHAT MAKES AN IMAGE INTERESTING, BEAUTIFUL OR CAPTIVATING ONE FINDS A BALANCE IN THESE IMAGES AND A NEW WAY OF SEEING.  THE IMAGERY HAS BEEN COMPARED TO MANY DIFFERENT PHOTOGRAPHERS BUT STANDS ALONE AS UNIQUE AND IN MANY CASES AS SOMETHING SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PERSPECTIVE AND PRESENTATION TO THE VIEWER.  MOST OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE MOTION TO THEM OR A SENSE OF CONFLICT AS SEEN IN THE   "CAUGHT" PAGE.  THE IMAGES WHEN VIEWED AS A WHOLE OR  BY CATEGORY HAVE INDEED A VERY UNIQUE BALANCE, MOTION, AWKWARDNESS OR SUBJECT MATTER TO THEM.  AN UN-CROPPED PHOTO OFFERS AN UNPOLISHED PERSPECTIVE AND CAN GIVE A FAMILIARITY OF A MOMENT CAPTURED TO SOMEONE, WHICH EFFECTS ONES MEMORY OF PAST EVENTS POSSIBLY WITNESSED  OR PARTIALLY SO.

DRAWINGS AND PAINTINGS

       THE DRAWINGS ARE AN OBSESSION WHICH TAKE A GREAT DEAL OF TIME TO MAKE.  HE WORKS MOSTLY ON ANTIQUE PAPERS, BOOKENDS  AND COLLECTIONS OF ANTIQUARIAN DOCUMENTS.  SOME OF THE MATERIAL USED HAVE TRACES OF ITS PREVIOUS HANDLERS INCLUDING DRAWINGS, SIGNATURES, SCRIBBLES AND MATH.  IT LENDS A FEELING OF HISTORY AND IMBUES A PRESENCE AND ENERGY OF SOULS PAST.  SOME ARE PART COLLAGE WHICH SPILLS INTO HIS SCULPTURES WITCH ARE A COMBINATION PHYSICAL MATERIAL AND EPHEMERA.  THE STYLE AND LINE ARE OBSESSIVE IN NATURE IN THE IMAGE STRUCTURE.  THEY ARE UNIQUE AND HARD TO PLACE IN A CATEGORY.   

WARNING-THIS UNPOLISHED WEBSITE WILL ALWAYS CHANGE OVER TIME AND SOMETIMES APPEAR DIFFERENT OR OUT OF ORDER COMPARED TO THE LAST VIEWING- ANY POOR RESOLUTION IMAGES IN THE DRAWING AND SCULPTURE SECTION WILL BE REPLACED OVER TIME

NO PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE BEEN CROPPED

TITLES CHANGE AND MORE WILL BE ADDED 

MEASUREMENTS ARE APPROXIMATED DUE TO UNWIELDY DIMENSIONS IN SOME CASES

TITLES TO PHOTOS AND DRAWINGS ARE MORE EXTENSIVE ON THE BLUE SKY ACCOUNT  chrispowellartist.bsky.social  PLEASE TAKE A LOOK

THE PHOTO SECTION IS VAST YET ONLY CONTAINS A SMALL LOOK INTO THE PORTFOLIO

SOME PHOTOS APPEAR MORE THAN ONCE BASED ON INCLUSION IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES

ANY INQUIRIES INTO SHOWS OR PROJECTS CAN BE EMAILED

HIRING FOR PHOTO SHOOTS CAN ALSO BE EMAILED

ENJOY