CHRIS LUNDY
“Notes From the Field”
Opening Reception Saturday, March 14, 2009 from 6 to 9pm
On View March 14 until April 12, 2009
Hawaii-based artist Chris Lundy will present a series of new paintings in his highly-anticipated new solo exhibition “Notes From the Field” at James Gray Gallery in Santa Monica, California. The reception is open to the public and will take place on Saturday, March 14, from 6 to 9pm.
For the exhibition, Lundy parlays his talent for blending formal academic painting with visual narratives of a world in flux into dynamic large-scale works. Immortalizing his surfing roots, Lundy captures the kinetic energy, graceful motion and luminous archways of his aqueous subjects. He states, “These paintings are not meant to serve as portraits of situations. They are meditations in and of themselves and hopefully serve as a glimpse into the rhythmic, radiant sanctuary that is the true home of many.”
Each painting is a snapshot of a place and time, inspired by nature’s sublime details – the spray of raindrops exploding on the ocean’s surface, or a zoomed in perspective on the lyrical movement of the crests of backlit mini waves ripping along a tide pool. For Lundy, the ocean is a place of reflection and discovery, in which he creates eternal snapshots of its magic moments and omnipotent forces - flawlessly exploring its rhythm, architecture and stillness.
Lundy’s process is improvisational and fluid. Taking notes from his daily aquatic discoveries, the radiance of a single water droplet can serve as the catalyst for a six foot painting. The months long process encompasses a sequence of steps from building large canvasses and producing rough sketches to selecting his signature spectrum of vibrant colors. Lundy skillfully juxtaposes complementary hues such as golds with lavenders to create luminous, glowing works of wonder.
About Chris Lundy
Born in 1956, Chris Lundy was raised in Florida, where he grew up in a creative household among the beach communities of Sarasota. Encouraged to explore his innate artistic talent, Lundy plunged into local art programs from an early age, exposing himself to all that was offered in the culturally rich area. His lifelong passion for surfing has been a huge inspiration for his work, taking him to the North Shore of Oahu in 1974, where the source material stepped into a new league. After 10 years in Hawaii, he relocated to Los Angeles to attend Art Center College of Design to study painting. Lundy now resides in Oahu, which is his permanent home and creative sanctuary. Numerous publications have done profiles on Lundy including Sole Collector, The Surfer’s Journal and a cover story in Juxtapoz magazine. His work has been featured on the Real World: Hawaii, and Nike commissioned him to create visuals for numerous products, including the limited-edition Lundy Dunk Low, one of the six sneakers featured in their original global launch of the Nike Laser project. For more information about the artist, please visit chrislundy.com.
