Christopher Cart | Figurative painter

"Painting for me is telling stories in paint" - Christopher Cart.

Christopher Cart has painted murals, countless watercolors and oils, portraits in both oils and watercolors and has illustrated many books and periodicals.

A native Mainer his work is also flavored by years in Guadalajara, Mexico and Seattle, Washington.

Cart is currently working on a 14 foot mural to commemorate historic Hallowell of the 1890′s.

And also for his home town of Hallowell, in 2012 he completed a commissioned portrait of Allen Strickland, a major donor to the Hubbard Free Library restoration fund.

In 2008 Cart completed a 8x32 foot mural for the Brunswick Trinidad Sister City Association.

The mural on the wall at 11 Pleasant St in Brunswick, entitled “A Dance of Two Cultures”, is a celebration of the cultural exchange between Brunswick, Maine and Trinidad, Cuba.

Another recent major work is a 40 by 6 foot mural, a composition of color and movement with 22 almost life-sized dance figures showing strength in human form.

Throughout his career he has painted other murals, countless watercolors and oils, portraits in both oils and watercolors and illustrations for many books and periodicals.

Christopher Cart studied art and art history at the University of Washington, Seattle and Coker College, South Carolina.

After leaving school he began selling his paintings and sculptures at several galleries in the Seattle area.

Now he is represented by galleries in his native New England region.

From the late 80’s and into the 90’s Cart illustrated six of the best selling Frugal Gourmet cookbooks and since that time he has created art for many other books and hundreds of illustrations for publications.

Most recently his work has been published as book covers for many classics of American literature, including Lydia Bailey and Northwest Passage.

And he is working on a fully illustrated edition of one of his personal favorites, Moby Dick by Melville.

In 2005 Cart was invited to contribute a portrait for the Portraits of Conscience exhibit sponsored by Amnesty International and the Lincoln Street Center.

This portrait was also part of a traveling exhibit.

Cart received the official commission for the portrait of Maine Chief Justice Daniel Wathen which was unveiled at a ceremony in the Superior Court in the State Capital in the spring of 2001.

Two paintings, a watercolor and an oil, were included in the Contemporary Realism Exhibit at the Centre for the Living Arts in Mobile, Alabama.

The Venezuelan Consulate on 5th Avenue, New York City hosted the Representing Reality exhibit which included three lyrical oil portraits from Cart’s series of young musicians.

Christopher Cart’s watercolor, “Sunday Walk” was featured in “The Art of Maine in Winter”, by art critics Carl Little and Arnold Skolnik, a book featuring many of Maine’s artists both old and contemporary.

"Per me dipingere significa raccontare storie attraverso i colori.

La tela è il mio palcoscenico; le persone sono i miei giocatori" - Christopher Cart.

Artista versatile, Christopher Cart ha dipinto murales, innumerevoli acquerelli ed oli, ritratti sia ad olio che ad acquerello e ha illustrato molti libri e periodici.

La sua carriera professionale comprende praticamente ogni aspetto delle belle arti visive.

Cart, che vive a Hallowell ed è nato a Farmington, ha saputo fin dall'infanzia che voleva diventare un artista.

Ha studiato arte al Coker College in South Carolina ed alla University of Washington, Seattle.

Durante gli studi, si è trovato attratto dalla storia dell'arte, dove ha studiato le tecniche di un'ampia varietà di pittori.

"Ho imparato di più nelle lezioni di storia dell'arte che nelle lezioni in studio", dice.

Alcune delle sue fonti di ispirazione includono Andrew Wyeth, che Cart descrive come "la rampa di lancio" per le sue capacità pittoriche.

"Era un artista vivente che aveva capacità a cui potevo aspirare", dice Cart.

Altri artisti il cui lavoro ha informato e ispirato la pittura di Cart includono Thomas Hart Benton, Degas, Rubens e Rembrandt.

Originario del Maine, il suo lavoro è anche arricchito dagli anni trascorsi a Guadalajara, in Messico, ed a Seattle, Washington.

Cart sta attualmente lavorando a un murale di 14 piedi per commemorare la storica Hallowell degli anni 1890.

E sempre per la sua città natale di Hallowell, nel 2012 ha completato un ritratto su commissione di Allen Strickland, un importante donatore del fondo di restauro della Hubbard Free Library.