Christopher Terry's paintings explore the tension between the everyday and the mystical. His subjects are primarily inspired by objects and artifacts that lack a strong ego and avoid connections to popular culture. He frames and illuminates this subject in a way that interprets still life as a secular altar where an ambiguous ritual takes place. The paintings resulting from this exploration are often both serene and meditative, yet also charged with anticipation. This tension is sustained by a rhythm that evokes the rhythm of memory and dreams. Paradoxically, for an artist like Terry, often considered a "realist," this rhythm arises more from invention and memory than from direct observation.
AVAILABLE ARTWORKS BY CHRISTOPHER T. TERRY
INTERIOR ALTAR PAINTING SERIES
About the INTERIOR ALTAR PAINTING series: In most of the paintings, the artist uses an interior space as his subject, placing a table or similar object at its center. The use of symmetry and eye level often suggests an altar-like presence on the table, an interpretation undoubtedly reinforced by the tablecloth that frequently covers it. This frames and illuminates the subject in a way that interprets it as a secular altar where an ambiguous ritual takes place. The resulting images are often both serene and meditative, but they can also be filled with anticipation. This tension is sustained by a rhythm that evokes the rhythm of memory and dreams.
STILL LIFE PAINTINGS SERIES
About the STILL LIFE PAINTING series: When an artist works with more conventional still life subjects, they focus primarily on the formal properties of the painting, such as color relationships, form, proportions, and other qualities typically associated with non-objective works. Still life offers the artist considerable freedom in these aspects of visual art, yet it retains the limitations of representation. It is a challenge that the artist enjoys exploring.
PAINTINGS ON WOODEN PANELS SERIES
About the PAINTINGS ON WOODEN PANELS series: For the artist, producing works in various formats is beneficial. While all of his paintings primarily focus on large-scale interior paintings, which make up the majority of his portfolio, it can be very helpful to change pace occasionally and work on smaller paintings. While larger canvases typically take one to three months to complete, working on smaller wood panels allows for a much shorter completion time. Working more spontaneously and intuitively can provide a respite from the longer, more analytical process required for larger works. Varying his process helps him approach his work more creatively and can also result in increased productivity.
CHRISTOPHER T. TERRY
REPRESENTED ARTIST
Christopher T. Terry was born in Stamford, Connecticut and studied Painting at Rhode Island College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States and is currently represented by galleries in Manhattan and Charlotte, NC. He is the recipient of numerous awards as a painter including the Utah Visual Artist Fellowship, and a WESTAF/NEA Fellowship in Painting. He has twice been the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship for Teaching and Research in Germany and in 2000 was a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome.
Terry taught at universities in the U. S. and Germany and served for ten years as Associate Dean in the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University. He left academia in 2020 to work full-time as a painter.