Abstract Impressionist
CHRIS WEBB
Chris Webb is an abstract impressionist painter and ink sketcher. His work is inspired by his urban and nautical surroundings in and around the City of Portsmouth, home to the Royal Navy. His creative endeavours started in 2012 and he was formerly known as urbansketcher back then, sketching urban scenes and local architecture on location plein air. He created a sketching group in 2013 called Portsmouth & Southsea Sketchers and continues to invite others to join him today. His expressive inks and use of watercolours was eventually joined by his new love of abstract acrylic paints and an abstract impressionist style by 2015. The style with this medium concentrates on the tones and depth to a painting, shifting away from the details to the overall impression of a scene. One of the reasons for this is quite profound for Chris and a testiment to his ability to adapt. Chris lost a significant amount of sight in both his eyes from 2010-14, untreatable and by 2016 was legally registered as partially sighted. The choice of palette you see in his monochrome paintings was inspired by a moment whilst out wandering on a foggy windless day with the sun trying to break through that thick fog. The conditions that day made everywhere seem higher in contrast and virtually monochrome, suiting his remaining vision better and influencing his photography editing choices and paintings ever since. Over the years Chris has undertaken many private commissions, designed a logo for a sustainable fishing research company and designed a music album cover for the music artist Quiet Noise.
This last year has been quite a breath of fresh air for him, whilst seeking new shores to exhibit his art. His engagement with exhibition themes, has led him to rise to the challenge on a broader range of subjects in his style. With three international and five UK exhibitions in 2018, his engagement with a wider audience has grown considerably.
Thank you for reading about Chris' work and art processes.
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EXHIBITIONS
2018 '(In)visible' Curated by Atramental at Espacio Gallery in City of London UK.
2018 'Ideal Destinations' Curated by ARTbound at Town Hall in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire UK.
2018 'The Dark Arts' at The Kings Theatre in Portsmouth UK.
2018 'Nostalgia' Curated by Art Number 23 at Municipal Gallery of Piraeus in City of Athens, Greece.
2018 'Bath Life' Summer Exhibition Curated by British Art Salon in City of Bath, Somerset UK.
2018 'Frame of Mind' at Emporium Bar in Portsmouth UK.
2018 'Nostalgia' Curated by Art Number 23 at Misc Arts Center in City of Timisoara, Romania.
2018 'Thresholds' Curated by Gonzo Unit in City of Thessaloniki, Greece.
2016 'Waterfront City' SOLO at Southscene in Portsmouth UK.
2016 'Minds are Worlds Apart' at Coastguard Studios in Portsmouth UK.
2015 'Under the Spotlight' at Coastguard Studios in Portsmouth UK.
2014 'Urban Perspective' at Island City Art in Portsmouth UK.