PHILOSOPHY & NATURE AS COSMOS
 Chris’ personal philosophies and creative approach stem from his interest in Chinese Tang and Song Dynasty poetry, notably Han Shan and Li Bai, and in the ambiguous philosophical texts of early Chinese Daoist thought, that of the Laozi, the Zhuangzi and the Huainanzi. He views humanity, in its broader collective, as simply one organism amongst the myriad that constitute “nature”, where “nature” is seen as nothing less than a dynamic cosmology in which humans participate in the most fundamental way - a universal and transcendent cosmic principle of seamless interaction with all things, not distinct from mankind – nature as cosmos.
This “nature”, he believes, encompasses not only the tangible world, but also the intangible presence of abstracts like thought, sound, emotion and dreams. In the realm of aesthetics, this philosophy of “unity” therefore allows the potential for “inspiration” to exist as a fundamental state, enabling one to “create” with the selfless spontaneity that is ziran (occurrence appearing of itself), and where artist’s “mistakes” transform to become a shift in perception awaiting a new exploration.
Chris’ inclinations toward this philosophical thinking were already evident as early as 1995, when he wrote a prologue for the catalogue of his exhibition “Figments” …
“The artist (dreamer) exists on a few bits of order extracted from the chaos of reality (fiction). Composing the image, the thought, creates the sensation of being in an intensely present moment. Movement is neither past nor future; only Eternity – the acute stillness of now (then). One ponders.
A wafting scent, a quality of light, déjà vu. A moment of order. Senses are captive, an image imprinted. Another look. The erratic balance of things bears no resemblance to that perceived only a moment ago. So what of reality? Intellect and theory becomes the enemy of innocence.
Does the frightened boy become the shameless hero? Another look. Another time. Was it a long time? What does it matter, it means nought. It drifts in the temporal, like the moment forthcoming or that which has been. Then remains. The shadow of memory… the figments… One ponders.” …
Chris’ inspirations seek to represent “nature” in its raw wholeness and he says ...
“It is not enough to simply observe – one has to assimilate with the moment, be it the tempestuous, multi-coloured flashing of a nightstorm, the blinding dissolution of a mirage, the ethereal glow of an enveloping Moroccan sandstorm or the shifting layers of a transitory reflection. Even the sensory impact of sound, the force of which is nothing more than an abstract presence, requires a certain yielding in order to realize its underlying force as an aspect of nature.”
Attempting to “assimilate” rather than simply observe forces one to create from the void of memory and, as such, Chris’ work is painted from memory and his experiences rather than directly in front of his subjects. His paintings attempt to serve as a substitute for his experience of “nature”.
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ON ART
 Chris’ visual influences draw on the colourist link he sees as existing between the very late work of Monet and that of the American and German abstractionists of the late 1940’s and ‘50s. As such, he has attempted to fill his paintings with more of everything; images that are often constantly moving and which reveal surfaces that are all-over, harmonized and homogenous, built from simple forms overlaid with multiple rhythms. His work is not about details, only the overwhelming effect afforded by a complete responsiveness and resonance with the moment. Chris also has a great affinity for the work of Australian artists Peter Upward, Royston Harpur, Ildiko Kovacs, Charlie Sheard, Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Gloria Petyarre.
Currently, after years of intermittent contemplation on the subject, Chris has started working toward a new direction with a tightly focused and ongoing group of radiant colour field paintings that seek to make visible the forces expressed through musical sound in their most pure form. He describes…
“Through the obliteration of any direct and formal representation of the subject completely, my intent is not to be left with some constructed void reminiscent of much of early modernism, but rather to reveal the looming presence of the obliterating force itself. Any musical comparison would have to be not with structure, melody or rhythm, but with that of pure sound, or a floating quality of sound such as its spatial quality or transparency.
Take for example the terrifying cacophony of contemporary culture DnB music and its many derivatives, with its Dionysian subsonic bass and superhuman drumming, a force with such supernatural presence elevated to unprecedented levels of clarity and precision. Though perhaps not everyone’s taste in listening pleasure, its power to alter one’s state of being is undeniable and carries with it an ability to unleash an energy that impacts ones physiology, hurling sounds that vibrate the back of the throat and resonate the spine with the feeling of being in the presence of a treacherous force. Yet at its conclusion, the cacophonous din seems to reveal the most profound of silences instilling a sense of elation, a quality and effect not dissimilar to the later music of Coltrane’s experimental jazz. It awakens ones primal connections and elevates ones sense of being.
To not only feel the profound surge of such nameless forces and acknowledge the recognition of something unknowable, yet knowing its joyful infinitude in seamless fusion, to somehow make visible the forces expressed so eloquently in these sounds, all of this makes worthy the pursuit of this work.”
Chris believes music is well in advance of painting in its ability to stimulate sensations and evoke visual imagery, and as a self-sufficient aural language operating on its own terms where composers work with nothing but abstract form and structure, he believes the goal for the painter must be to strive the attainment of a similarly visual language without sacrificing itself to words and ideas or illusionistic effects.
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ON MUSIC
 Music has proved to be a large influence in Chris’ life and over the years he has been interested in many different forms of music genre and believes there to be an occasion for virtually any form of music to be appropriately heard. But one constant that has continually reappeared throughout his life is Jazz, a music form that has provided much inspiration for his work. More specifically, Jazz music from early to mid ‘60s, particularly John Coltrane, has provided a major inspiration, primarily as an abstract thought regarding the fusion of improvised musical structure and its subsequent totality as a parallel to the rhythm of painting, and the finding of that magical moment of resonance. Chris believes both the avant-garde jazz musician and the sensory painter operate on similar levels that involve the body, the emotions, the mind and the spirit, all operating simultaneously...
“You move, you express your sensations, you construct improvised sequence overlays around varied rhythms, all fused with your spirit. For me, painting is very much about the moment present and dealing with the flux of change therein.”
Lately, Chris has been working on a somewhat loose but ongoing project in conjunction with his colour field paintings related to sound. Primarily acting as fodder and catalyst for his “sound paintings” and by utilizing a portable sequencer/sampling tool, Chris has been attempting to render electronic musical soundscapes into a progression of tracks which allow the listener to delve into an abstract realm of visual and sensory imagery - a project the polar opposite, yet intrinsically related, to his colour field work. He says…
“The created sounds evoke sensory images of abstract presence, and through the attempt to make visible that presence on canvas, subsequent contemplation seemingly unveils the revelation of yet more complex sounds. Each continuously feeds and transforms the other in a circular way.”
Chris has dabbled over the years with learning to play a few instruments by ear, but percussive and bass rhythms are where his interests have been most concentrated. More recently he has been learning to play the Chinese Xiao, a vertical end blown bamboo flute whose warm, airy and haunting tones he finds highly pleasurable and contemplative.
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