After the sometimes frustrating process of mechanically establishing his compositions of symmetry and balance on a canvas, Christopher Stott begins to build up the layers of the painting itself.
“I enter a different state of mind as it begins to come to life,” he says. “It brings a lot of joy. As I begin the slow methodical process of building up each 2 square inches of the canvas, I get into the flow, the state of calm mind, the meditative process of adding layers of paint.” It can take six to eight weeks to work from a drawing in his sketchbook to the final varnished and framed painting.
Teal Chair with Books I, oil on canvas, 48 x 30"
The carefully designed objects from the past that he seeks out and chooses as his subjects are silhouetted against a plain background. “I want people to recognize them from across the street,” he explains.
“I want them to understand right away what the object is even if they think it’s a photograph. As they get closer and closer, I want them to become aware of the subtle, painterly brushwork.”
Stott paints in a traditional manner, building up layers of oil paint to obtain a verisimilitude while maintaining the evidence of his workmanship. “It’s a Dutch masters’ technique,” he shares, “but a modern aesthetic. Centuries ago, objects were candlelit or lit by the light from small windows. Today we’re surrounded by windows and artificial light.”
Ten Clocks – Black, oil on canvas, 30 x 36"
Two Fans, oil on canvas, 24 x 30"
Preparing for his exhibitions, he paints in pairs “to strengthen the narrative or the theme”—10 clocks with black faces, 10 with white faces, a phone on the hook and off the hook—and demonstrate the yin yang of life that occurs throughout his paintings. One illustrates a chaotic pile of books and the other piles are arranged with more care.
Teal Chair with Books II, oil on canvas, 48 x 30"
The chairs and books are immediately recognizable but not dismissible. They invite closer examination of his rendition of the curved, folded and torn covers and pages of the yellowed and aged books.
Order and chaos are combined in the indivisible whole of yin and yang as they are experienced in life. Stott invites us to look at both calmly.
His recent paintings can be seen at George Billis Gallery in New York through October 24. —
George Billis Gallery
525 W. 26th Street, Ground Floor • New York, NY 10001
(212) 645-2621 • www.georgebillis.com
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