About Christofer Charles
Artist Statement
Why and what I paint, at this point, is more of an evolving process then a solid statement. However, that is not to say that there are not consistencies in this evolution. In my mind I see three consistent concepts or mind states that are the foundation of my work. These concepts can be broken down into three categories: application process, artistic philosophy, and my life philosophy.
Application Process
My painting style in the past had been fairly academic and realistic. I focused on representing life in a very traditional style. This brought very little satisfaction in the process of painting, and rarely brought satisfaction in the end results. The only moments that I felt satisfaction in my work were moments when my ego was satisfied by the viewer’s response, which to be honest was rare. Once I realized this I began to look for a new approach, one that was not fueled by the need to satisfy my ego or the viewer. I began to look for an approach that would allow me to enjoy the process and allow me to react more honestly as a painter. This search lead me to my drawings, which in my opinion have always felt more honest in regards to myself as an artist, not to mention they where much more enjoyable to create. In studying my drawings I began to see that line was a crucial and exciting element within them, and that line was a natural way for me to see. I enjoyed the way in which my drawings were created from a variety of searching lines as my pen or pencil raced across the paper slowly narrowing in on the form of the figure. This building up of form through a variety of line gave the figure life, movement, and spontaneity. The line in the drawings also allowed me to connect the figure and the background in a very simple manner. The line typically trailed off the figure into its surroundings, hitting only key points of the environment. Often times defining the space in a very simple, flat, graphic pattern with hints of perspective. These elements of life, movement, spontaneity, and a feeling of connection between the figure and the background were sadly absent in my old paintings. So, with these elements in mind, and line as their driving force, I began a new series that would allow for a more honest painting to emerge, and hopefully allow myself to enjoy the creation of the paintings as well.
This brings me to where I am now. I currently work in a more layered approach. These layers allow for the language of my drawings to be more present, in that the search for the figure is a slow process allowing line and paint to slowly narrow in on the figure and its environment. Chaos and structure are my two main viewpoints when looking at a painting. I enjoy jumping back and forth between chaos and structure. Chaos being more of an emotive reaction, which I give free reign at the start of a painting, and the structure being a more logical reaction, is something that I slowly move towards as the painting evolves. This dance between chaos and structure allows for both line and paint to dip in and out of figure and background, as well as emotion and logic, spontaneity and control. However, these dynamics would not merge without allowing energy to exist in both realms. This merging brings me to my artistic philosophy, or the mind state needed while painting that enables energy to exist and come through.
Artistic Philosophy
Energy is the best word that I can think of to describe my artistic philosophy. Energy is what allows all of the elements involved in a painting to exist as one. Image two ever-present sparks. The first spark exists solely within you (me), and the second spark maintains its existence in the external world. These two sparks make contact with one another numerous times everyday. In these moments your internal reality crashes with that of the external reality. This is where I choose to focus my attention while painting. For it is at these points, these moments of collision, that creation and its energy exist. Moreover, within these moments lies truth. These moments hold tiny bits of information, reflecting truthfully myself (us) in relation to the current outside world. These bits of information can be pieced together, in this case in the form of a painting. Paintings, therefore, have the potential to expose a more honest micro (the individual) and macro (humanity) world. I use my art to document and understand this interaction.
This way of seeing and thinking is very dear to me and effects me on a constant basis. I try to let this way of thinking lead both the concepts of my art and the actual creation of my art. I do this because I believe there is a direct correlation between the creation of art and life. These two entities are both metaphors for, and reflections of, one another. In life we need a balance between chaos and structure, as well as emotion and logic. Therefore by staying close to, and creating from, this collision point where energy exist, I gain valuable insight into the uncovering and understanding the current world and myself. However, the collision point of the internal world and external world can be difficult to navigate without the use of empathy and self-understanding. Which brings me to my life philosophy, or the Empathetic Silo.
Life Philosophy
I envision the Empathetic Silo to be a construct that can be utilized as a tool to sort through the information, or bits of truth created at the moment of collision between the internal and external worlds. The Empathetic Silo is created through mass amounts of people interacting, and often colliding with one another on a daily basis. With each individual carrying their own personal experiences and understandings of themselves, others, and the world in which they exist. The differences that create these unique views come from a variety of sources: an individuals race, gender, economic class, personal appearance, family background, mental ability, emotional quotient, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, and most commonly a mixture of all of these. This creates a world of people looking to define themselves amongst these differences, and find those who share similar views. During our search to define who we are, we compare and contrast ourselves to those around us. This comparison ultimately builds metaphoric brick walls around ourselves and others. These "brick silos" encompass each of us, and are built one brick at a time from the day we are born. Each brick representing a judgment, thought, or perceptions that can be true, but at times are false.
My own thoughts have placed many of the bricks that surround me, while other individuals have placed some of the bricks in their own attempts to define themselves. Therefore, in order for me to understand my own personal "silo", I must first be completely honest about my own thoughts and beliefs. This honesty will allow me to truly see the bricks that I have placed and why, thus exposing my true self. Secondly, in the case of the bricks placed by others, I must be empathetic, inserting myself into their shoes to understand why they placed the bricks they did. This process is a life long process in understanding.
However, at this point in time, my life philosophy is the least visually present of the three concepts that drive my work. I know that it plays a role in the creation, but to what extent I am unsure. The element where it has begun to surface in my work, visually speaking, is in the construction of the figure. The feeling that the figure or individual in the painting is being constructed from both internal and external forces is speaking of this philosophy. Yet, I would like to take this farther, but this part of the evolution has yet to occur. Eventually, I would like the life philosophy to come through with equality to that of application, and energy. By combining and utilizing these three elements fully, I hope to understand myself and those around me more clearly. The paintings can be the visual record of this process.