For many years I have worked both abstractly and figuratively, primarily in oil.
My Abstract paintings involve multiple layers of slow drying oil glazes with heavily marked and scratched surfaces: a kind of free form sgraffito. I use structural elements to emphasize the contrast between the aggressive movement of compulsive mark making, and the minimalist structure of the compositions.
Initially I began experimenting with abstraction after being enthralled by a Mondrian exhibition I saw in Washington, DC in 1995, which ignited in me a desire to better understand non-representation through my own exploration. Ideas and emotions arise in the process of finding, for me, a mysterious visual balance of non-space/non-form. The work is often minimal and active at once and the paintings have evolved over time in unexpected ways.
In my figurative paintings my focus is often on faces and eyes, decorated with dots of color. For me they express an allusion to mortality, matter and energy fields. I have found dot elements in decorative techniques used around the world in various forms. Mine developed out of restoration work on Moroccan painted furniture, but later evolved in connection with my experiences with meditation and Reiki.
Artist Biography
Chris Curchin studied film and animation in an experimental film program at Philadelphia College of Art, now University of the Arts earning a BFA in 1982. A self taught painter, he began painting in 1985, showed regularly and helped run the Highwire Co-operative through the 90’s and has exhibited work at the Allentown Art Museum, William Way Center , DCCC and The Philadelphia Art Alliance among others. He currently teaches art and music at a non-profit arts-based preschool in Philadelphia.
Education
1982 University of the Arts(formerly Philadelphia College of Art), Philadelphia, PA BFA, Film/Animation
Bibliography
Publications
2005 Artists of Northern Liberties 2005 Calendar (January) Juried publication
Professional Experience
2008 - present Teacher/Manager, AKWD Preschool, Philadelphia, PA
1999 - 2008 Assistant Teacher, HMS School for Children With Cerebral Palsy
1978 - 1999 Various Restaurants and House Painting
Theater Design
1994 Set Design and Construction, "Gothic Tales," Greg Giovanni, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
1993 Set Design and Construction,"Napoleon Pullapart, Parts 5 & 5 1/2," Big Mess Theater, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA
1992 Set Design, "Lucy: The Opera," Big Mess Theater, Painted Bride, Philadelphia, PA
Exhibitions
Solo
2022
Upheaval, Boston Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1997 Borders Center City, Philadelphia, PA
1995 Portraits, Philadelphia Art Alliance Dining Room, Philadelphia, PA
Group
2021
The Face of Another, The Yard/InLiquid, Philadelphia, PA
2019 The Art of Healing, The Samaritan Center, Vorhees, NJ
2018 FigureFormGesture, Da Fonseca Contemporanea, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2013 215/620 Emerging Regional Artists, Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE Juror: Donald Kuspit
Member Exhibition: InLiquid, PPAC, Second State, at Ice Box Project Space and Grey Area, Crane Arts Building, Philadelphia, PA
2007 2nd Annual Juried Show, William Way, Philadelphia, PA Juried Exhibition
2005 29th Annual Juried Show, Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA Juried Exhibition
2004 A Sense of Place, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, CO Juried Exhibition
2002 Hanzpeak, Reiki School and Clinic, Philadelphia, PA
1999 Annual Exhibition, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Juried Exhibition
1995 Borders Center City, Philadelphia, PA
4th Annual Exhibition, William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA Juried Exhibition Jurors: Ivy Barsky and John Ollman
1994
Solid World and Other Paintings, Highwire Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, With Jeanne Nugent
1993 Candle Opera: Installation by candle light, Highwire Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Selective Vision, Highwire Gallery, Philadelphia, PA Curator: Jeanne Nugent
WaterIslandBridge, Multi-media installation and Outdoor Sculpture, Petty’s Island, Camden, NJ and Highwire Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1992 - 1995 Highwire Collective Rotating Group Shows, Highwire Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
1992 Cathartic Fixations and Concrete Abstractions: 3 Artists, Highwire Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
