Murray State's Digital Commons

Collection Title

Art 399 Portfolio

Author/Artist Name

Christopher GillFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 5-8-2020

Artist Statement

Moving to Kentucky from a small Central American country has definitely shaken a lot about what I thought I knew of the world and painting is a sort of way to express what things are ‘shaking’ currently for me and how it continuously shakes me. My artwork reveals certain key points in a childhood experience unique to Belize. Imagery used and settings are strongly influenced by local art styles from the country. Strong themes of discrimination, marginalization, inner and outer dialogues about interpersonal ideas and society’s violently inflicted and delicately or sloppily treated wounds, all these ideas are set in tropical, real life day to day scenes of the Caribbean region are to speak on them from a native’s queer point of view.

Oil & Acrylic on wood panels and canvas are preferred materials for my personal process. A digital collection of references that may not include figures, patterns, textures and prints as well as Belizean history books and records inspire a lot of my art as I can draw a lot from more relatable experiences of my own life and translate it into a universally recognizable moment. As reference and inspiration artists like Francois Boucher from the Rococo period influence my pieces heavily. The themes of Freedom, love and opulence call me to bathe Belizean queers in the love and attention they deserve with my art. More contemporary artists such as Milt Koboyashi, Cheyenne Jackson, and Kehinde Wiley are artists who have certain skills and styles that my work aligns with and can learn from theirs.

Certain things are important for the work such as a strong reference to my country of origin (a personal fight against assimilation), as well as a representation of those not seen. I not only want to give voices to my fellow queer peers that I grew up with, but I also want to create an oppurtunity to talk about these things together at the middleground. Figures and bright, saturated colors, not only mimic the style of Belizean artists but as well fakes a dream-like internal surreal scenery that is to insinuate the conversation is happening somewhat within reality.

Advisor/Mentor

Jeanne Beaver, Mike Martin

Description

I mainly work in oil paint, as well on canvas and wood panels. High saturation and certain flat shapes in my composition emulates certain aspects of Belizean art as an attempt to keep in touch with my own roots. My aim is to reiterate certain lgbtqiia+ experiences edited into a Caribbean immigrant context with a stylistic approach to naturalism. Playfulness in color and composition that derive from the overall aesthetic of Caribbean art is used to pull on the coattails of the larger, more traditional themes in my work.

Photo Credit

Pictures were taken by Author.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Gill, Christopher, "Art 399 Portfolio" (2020). Professional Practices (ART 399). 95.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/95