CHRIS BRANDELL
Chris’ compositions grow out of a deep personal engagement with the natural world. Her limited palette, textured surfaces, and gestural marks are shaped by the objects she finds near her Marco Island studio—shells, driftwood, broken concrete, bits of wire, and other small treasures, that carry the island’s quiet pulse. Equally moved by the resonance of poetry, quotes, music, and lyrics, she translates these tactile and emotional inspirations into large format abstract works rendered in oil and mixed media.
“I never know where intuition will take me or what each painting will become. I often begin with a drawing. The drawing may remain as the focus, or it may disappear into the groundwork for something entirely new. At its core, my work is an exploration of love: spiritual, romantic, platonic, and the ongoing practice of self-love. I’m drawn to the idea that Divine perfection, which I believe is the purest form of love, lives inside everything, even the simplest, most unadorned forms that inspire me. I always say, ‘do what you love and forget the rest,’ and this truth guides my work. Wherever my path leads, the work always will return to love. When a painting holds this energy, I believe the viewer can feel it and this makes my work feel complete.”
Born and raised in New Rochelle, New York, Chris’ work continues to evolve in her studio in Marco Island, Florida. After a successful career as a business executive and part-time artist, she has been focused full-time on painting since early 2019. Her paintings can be found in private and corporate collections including that of Southern Methodist University, Phi Beta Phi in Texas, and The Silva & Edge Buildings in Maryland. Chris is currently represented by: Gardner Colby Gallery; Huff Harrington Fine Art, and Artful Sol Gallery.
CURRICULUM VITAEPainter, Oil and Mixed Media
b.1964 | New Rochelle, New York
Currently lives and works in Marco Island, Florida
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS2024 | Season Opening Exhibition, Gardner Colby Gallery, Naples, FL.
2022 | Sightseeing Three Artist Exhibition, Huff Harrington Fine Art, Atlanta, Georgia.
2022 | Right Here All Along Two Artist Exhibition, Palette Home, Richmond, Virginia.
2022 | Art2Life International Juried Art Exhibition, curated by Jack Fischer of The Jack Fischer Gallery.
2022 | The Architecture of Healing Four Artist Exhibition, Sozo Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina.
2021 | Found Objects Solo Exhibition, Palette Home, Richmond, Virginia.
2021 | Women in the Arts Group Exhibition, 2nd Annual Latela Curatorial at Umbrella, Washington DC.
2020 | The Words Solo Exhibition, The Athenaeum, Alexandria, Virginia.
2020 | 100 Women in the Arts Group Exhibition, Latela Curatorial Virtual Exhibition.
2019 | Perspective & Prose Four Artist Exhibition, Sozo Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina.
2018 | Abstract Invitational Group Exhibition, Invited Artist, The Athenaeum, Alexandria, Virginia.
2017 | Halo Solo Exhibition, Asbury Dunhill for Sozo Gallery, Charlotte, North Carolina.
2017 | Abstract Invitational Group Exhibition, The Athenaeum, Alexandria, Virginia. Best In Show for Deliberate Passage.
2016 | Prose Solo Exhibition, Gallery43, Roswell, Georgia.
2016 | Repression Solo Exhibition, Agora Gallery, New York, New York.
2016 | Rise Up Group Exhibition, NAWA Strathmore Mansion, Bethesda, Maryland.
2015 | Spectrum Solo Exhibition, Salon Simis, Fairfax, Virginia.
SELECTED COLLECTIONSSouthern Methodist University, Pi Beta Phi, Dallas, Texas
The Silva (Adams Morgan), Washington, DC.
The Edge, Bethesda, Maryland
Ninotch, An Urban Retreat, Tysons Corner, Virginia
The Asbury, Charlotte, North Carolina
PRESSJune 2021 White-hot Magazine.
March 2021 Creativ Magazine, Cover and Article
January 2020 Art of the Times Winter 2020 Issue
January 2020 The Washing Post Review of The Words Solo
April 2016 Saatchi Artist of the Week
July 2015 “No.87” Featured in British Vogue, Vogue’s Gallery
May 2015 “Kimono I & II” Featured in Elledecor.com’s House Tour
REPRESENTATIONS & AFFILIATIONSRepresented by: Artful Sol Gallery in Vail, Colorado; Design Supply Gallery in Birmingham, Alabama; Gardner Colby Gallery in Naples, Florida; and Huff Harrington Fine Art in Atlanta, Georgia.
The National Association of Women Artists, November 2014 Juried Member