meme: day 17

An art piece

This is titled "The City on a Hill".

One of my all time favorite artists is James C. Christensen.
Here is part of an article from 2005 (the entire article can be found HERE)


FISH INHABIT THE HUMAN WORLD--breathing air, walking on leashes, balancing on noses--in James C. Christensen's art.

"Why not stick a fish in it?" he says. "If I [paint] a guy walking a fish it's more fun. Fish became a reminder that the paintings are magical."

Christensen, who lives in Orem, has gained fame over the past 20 years by painting "unique people, places and things that exist somewhere between adult dreams and childhood memories," according to a Web site that features his work. But, he says that as fantastic as his work can be, it's often grounded in reality, with conscious thought, not dreams, behind every stroke of his brush.

Take the "poofy" men, for whom he is arguably best known. These men exist under heavy layers of clothing, and though they often are unsmiling, Christensen's intent is to elicit a knowing grin from the viewer, to get us to laugh at our own weaknesses. "They're wearing on the outside what I think of as baggage," Christensen says. "They become us. We're all human, we're all flawed, but we're also colorful and fun."

(above: The Oldest Professor)

He sometimes interprets the classics. Jack Be Nimble is hilarious, with a poofy, aloof Jack appearing incapable of stepping--never mind jumping--over a candlestick. But there's more to Christensen's portfolio. Though works with titles such as Lawrence Pretended not to Notice that a Bear had Attached Himself to his Coattails suggest the extent of his whimsy, others such as Madonna with Two Angels highlight his serious, spiritual side.

Art fans take Christensen's work seriously. His paintings are in collections worldwide, and an original can sell for many thousands. Touching the Hem of God is being offered for $39,000; Sisters of the Sea can be had for $64,000.

(Above: The widow's mite.)