Chris Silver

Statement

I am interested in the emotional quality of colour. and my practice is all about portraiture and figurative work. As someone with mental health issues, working with mark making and colour is important in portraying a certain mood or atmosphere, whether it be neon colours to represent a high mood or aggressive mark making to signal anxiety. I am drawn to subjects because of their charisma and uniqueness. I enjoy collecting vintage photography, often monochromatic, that have an emotional element and tell a story. I like to inject colour when painting black and white photography. I hope that my work can incite an emotional response in the viewer. Working with electric, neon colours has always interested me. The work has a graphic, illustrative component to it, this is the solid foundation of the image that gradually becomes more expressive and in line with my own mindset at that time. I plan to paint portraits of people throughout history with an emphasis on colour chroma. The work will take influence from impressionism, fauvism and postmodernism. I plan on painting famous artists from history, and also vintage pop culture. I am inspired by Henri Matisse, Gerhard Richter, Kwangho Shin and Andy Warhol.

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