Chris Stone  Artist
 

Plymouth based artist, creating original paintings  of Devon, Cornwall and beyond.
Originally from Bristol, I have had the privilege to live in the Plymouth area for the past twenty five years.
As an artist, I am committed to investigating and understanding a sense of place through exploration of Plymouth, its landscape, people, 

culture and local media.  My commitment to the area is a constituent of my personal practice and my involvement with community based art projects. I recognise the importance of enabling others through the arts and how this can bolster my individual endeavours. I believe artists don’t exist in isolation. 

I have become drawn to places that are away from the established tourist trail, such as industrial sites, defence establishments, urban parks and  townscapes. The covert underbelly, rather than the overt glossy coat. 

As well as more traditional landscapes, my recent work has celebrated these more mundane places through the well used device of the picture postcard: a souvenir that captures a memory or a feeling, a slightly over-egged version of reality, an aide-memoire, encapsulated in an inexpensive, almost throwaway item, the historical equivalent of an Instagram post.  My work casts a murky graininess on its subject that emulates the fleeting nature of a memory; an approximation of reality that can’t be quite pinned down. 

My smaller paintings on photographic and Yupo paper reflect the character of a faded, nostalgic postcard,  championing atmosphere over detail and fakery over reality,  generated via memory, en plein air sketching and my own photographs taken at the location. These influences work into the paintings, produced in a variety of media, including acrylic, gouache, watercolour and ink.  I try to be as concerned about what is left out as is left in, crafting a dissolution of the landscape. 

I believe that Plymouth and Cornwall’s “forgotten corner” deserve to be honoured through handcrafted, artistic souvenirs that recognise the importance of the familiar places that we encounter every day.
I graduated from Arts University Plymouth in 2024 with a BA (Hons) degree in Painting, Drawing and Printmaking. Recipient of the Fresh Talent Award from Brownston Gallery, Modbury, 2024. 

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EDUCATION

2024 BA (Hons) Painting, Drawing and Printmaking. Arts University Plymouth

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AWARDS

 

2024 Fresh Talent Award, Brownston Gallery, Devon. 
Find out more here
 

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EXHIBITIONS

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Group:

April 2023: Artmills Gallery Plymouth. Student Exhibition (Arts University Plymouth)
June 2024. Arts University Plymouth, Graduate Show
July  2024. Manor Street Galleries, Plymouth. Artemis Art Collective
December 2024: Manor Street Galleries, Plymouth, Artemis Art Collective

 

COMMUNITY WORK

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I am honoured to work with Awenek Studios CIC, a community interest company based in south east Cornwall. They provide a variety of community based art activities across Torpoint and the Rame Peninsula, including Art for Wellbeing, schools outreach. home schooling solutions and a range of creative workshops for all abilities. ​​

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I have been involved in the provision of Art for Wellbeing sessions, providing drop-ins and more structured workshops. I believe art and creativity can have a positive effect on mental and physical health Research suggests this to be the case, with a growing body of evidence indicating that "creativity and the arts can make a significant difference to people’s health and wellbeing"  (Ings et al 2012). 

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Levels of engagement are impressive and I am aways bowled over by the talent of the participants. Exploring themes and techniques in these workshops has expanded my own knowledge and in turn inspired my own practice as an artist. Community collaboration is now becoming an integral part of my practice and I look forward to continuing with this work in future.   

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Ings, R., et al., (2012). Be_Creative_Be_Well.pdf. Arts Council England [Online]. Available at https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/sites/default/files/download-file/Be_Creative_Be_Well.pdf.

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