Meet Christopher Young. Another London ex-pat, Chris has been a Chesham Dweller for the past two years, having upped sticks from the city after falling in love with the area through visiting his father here. Largely self taught in art (he attended a short course at St Martins), Christopher is building a formidable reputation thanks to his beautifully elegant charcoal drawings and prints, which capture the natural grace of unsuspecting ‘passers-by’.
With a background working in adult mental health, Christopher is a compassionate, interesting and highly knowledgeable man, with an innate drive to interpret the world and it’s inhabitants, both visually and psychologically. So, requiring a steady flow of willing citizens, Christopher has devised a unique and inspired method to find his subjects…
By the powers of Google Maps, Christopher seeks out his models, finding them hidden amongst the millions of photographed streets, where they unwittingly become transformed into art, going on to adorn many a British wall. Christopher thought up this method in his quest to find agreeable Geisha’s, willing to pose, which proved rather tough. But here he finds them, natural, authentic, unaware of his gaze, going about their daily business in Kyoto, dressed in all their impractical splendour and finery. His use of charcoal does not mask the colour of the Geisha’s beautiful silks, which is weirdly still there, behind the black strokes, their movement and poise captured by Christopher’s free and thoughtful style. Using a variety of textured paper, he experiments with the effects this produces and how the fibres influence the ashes.
Christopher has resourcefully set up a make-shift studio within his home, which he shares with his girlfriend, three cats and four kittens. From here, Christopher leads a multi-talented life as an artist, session musician (piano and guitar), screen writer and novelist. His art however, focuses his passion and, reminiscent of other homegrown British artists, such as Rory Dobner, who also started from a humble room at home, Christopher is definitely one to watch….
You can proudly purchase a Christopher Young of your own, currently in Chesham’s Pop Up Art Works in the high street, or via Be There Studio on Etsy: http://etsy.com/uk/shop/BeThereStudio
Chesham Tales 