Chris Rigby

Born in Lancaster in 1967, Chris attended a foundation course at Lancaster after which he went on to study Illustration at Falmouth School of Art where he was trained in a wide variety of illustration techniques from tight photographic life science to loosely rendered figurative work.  Whilst there Chris developed an interest in the painting of the old masters and sighted it as the touchstone from which all these illustration techniques were derived. 

"Living in Cornwall a second time from 1996-98 endeared me to landscape painting, especially seascapes.  On returning to Lancaster I explored the local coast in a series of paintings on Cockerham sands.  Gradually I see different aspects of my life and work marry and landscape entangles with manscape.  Most of my current painting concerns buildings; usually well weathered ones bearing the scars of time.

I’ve never been happy with images that simply prettify; to me they are just not worth it.  Art is about ideas, thoughts, human experience.  Lately I’ve been looking at the work of Anselm Kiefer, especially his depictions of landscape which carry great philosophical weight and ideas relating to Joseph Beuys, shamanism and alchemy amongst other things.  All these things I try and feed into my work in digestible portions.  I try to remain consciously aware of these things believing it influences the way I look at the world and will have an effect on my handling of the medium, but avoid imposing any particular symbolism on my work."