Artist's Statement

There is a subtle architectonic logic which pervades the artwork I make. I think of this aesthetic as a sort of "organic tectonic"; a construction involving a language of natural forms, an assemblage of patterns associated with systems of phenomena which make up the fecund natural world. Inspired by the life sciences, including the fossilized record and the amazing worlds opened up by electron microscopy, I create a world where botanical and geological forms seep into an organic/geometric matrix.

"Earth forming," my novel process of making is a technique I have developed which involves carving intricate one-off molds out of sand and clay. These fragile earthen "form works" last only long enough to capture my clay creations (containers, vessels and relief tiles), until they can be excavated. The process leaves behind a dissolved, eroded earthen matrix which will ultimately be recycled into new work.

Biography

Chris's path has consistently gravitated towards and found redemption in "making," whether in Architecture School at Tulane where his attraction for physical form was explored in the sanctioned realm of cardboard models, or in the sun drenched playground for architects in the Arizona desert known as Arcosanti, a place where the medium of silt, clay and concrete are the primary means of expression.

Playing in the dirt, he seemed to find his medium of choice and let his activities range from the scale of ceramic houses as demonstrated by Nader Khalili at CalEarth in southern California to the hand held clay creations afforded and indulged upon at Paolo Soleri's ceramic studio at the edge of the Sonoran. He later found a nurturing environment for these tendencies while earning his MFA at RISD and achieved breakthroughs working with clay and earthen mixtures, leading to his current body of work.