Spirited and Textural Abstracts by Christopher Knights

Knights is interested in facilitating a conversation between the natural world and man-made technology in a way which questions nature’s place within contemporary culture. He argues that the two are not converse to each other, but rather a harmonious and beautiful macrocosm. His work flirts with the viewer in a way that softens an otherwise heavy motif, and invokes a playfully inquisitive mood. Each painting is its own journey—an expedition Knight undertakes, through use of a personal language, in order to grapple with what it means to be alive. The artist's stream-of-consciousness style is present in each textured brushstroke and symbolic representation of form. 

Knights’ process is an ebb and flow of spontaneous and precise mark-making, exploring the relationship between intention and chance. He allows each mark to communicate with the next, creating a progression of risk-taking and problem-solving moments. Any preconceived ideas of what the image should or could be are eliminated, allowing the work to evolve from one mark to the next. 

Christopher Knights is a Toronto-based artist who has exhibited extensively in major Canadian cities as well as New York. He studied at Sheridan College of Applied Arts, and has been recognized with awards such as “Best Painting” and “City Archive Purchase Award” at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. Knight's paintings exhibit a profoundly emotive style and provide the viewer with a window into the mind of the artist. The thick, textured application of paint brings life to each canvas, and results in a truly immersive work of art.