Expect a lot from an artist, and demand a lot

from artwork that you purchase

I always have and still do…from every piece I have collected to every piece I make. I believe people should only buy artwork with value and merit—art created without compromise founded on traditional approaches and expertise by artists who have evolved unique creative perspectives and approaches. This is what I look for when I’m considering making a purchase and what I try to live up to when creating my own work.

I studied film, still photography, design and art history in university and worked in the visual arts and as a photographer and printmaker before becoming a full-time professional artist.

Why buy art? Because art matters to everyone in some way, and a piece of art can enhance one’s life experience and environment. You will want to ensure that every piece of art purchased can be enjoyed for many years. People’s homes are their sanctuary, and the workplace is where people spend much of their waking hours. At home, you’ll want to look at something on your walls that makes you happy, or contemplative, that puts a spring in your step or reminds you of great memories from that special trip you took. In the workplace, art makes people feel better and is a proven and effective method at promoting corporate values and culture.

I am an artist who strives to create original, memorable work; that’s my goal—pure and simple. I want people to walk up to my artwork, look at it and explore…I want them to feel some sort of connection and be able to relate to what I have created and, perhaps, even to some of the technical and creative choices I made.

I consider myself fortunate to live in Canada, a vast country with varied landscapes and raw nature at almost every turn. Though I’ve visited many places, it is the Canadian landscape that continues to inspire me the most. I work in several mediums and with a variety of subject matter; it is my landscape work, however, that I repeatedly find to be my most fulfilling creative experiences.

An artist must continually work at, and challenge themselves with, making engaging art; it doesn’t come naturally or easily to anyone. It involves leveraging everything one knows and is capable of and pushing oneself beyond creative and technical barriers in an attempt to create their best work. I don’t ever want anyone who’s viewed my art to be left with the impression that my work is only a variation on a theme…same subject matter, same medium, same approach…same old thing…just a product for purchase. All artists can create work to fill a gallery wall, but how is artwork truly judged? Well, I believe that it’s ultimately up to the viewer…their evaluation and valuation. This is all that matters as art is for everyone.

I want people to step into one of my paintings, illustrations or photographs and feel like they’re experiencing the light of the scene, feeling the wind in their hair, the water on their face and escape for a few moments.

After some years of working professionally in the arts, I chose to return to school to embark on a new career that would provide me with more financial freedom to practice my art and with opportunities for travel and exploration. I continued to make art in multiple mediums.

It soon became apparent that there were significant overlaps between my career as a quality assurance and operational performance analyst and my art career. I also developed courses and taught at the college level. It was this work experience that ultimately led to my desire to gain a deeper understanding of how I create my art and is what ended up truly igniting my artistic pursuits and creativity! This is what inspired the development of my ebook The Art of Creativity and Visualization which is about my creative process and empowering one’s creativity, and what led to me becoming a full-time professional artist (biography below).

• See some artwork here. Maybe you’ll find something new for your walls at home or at the office?
• Read about my studio and how I created some of my work here.
• Learn about visual creativity and how to become more creative by getting access to my free ebook here.
• Sign up to my private mailing list to stay current with what’s happening in the studio here.
• If you have any questions about my work, just ask.

Biography

Michael Christidis is a Canadian artist who is best known for his luminous multi-layered paintings depicting wilderness landscapes and shorelines. Like many Canadians, Christidis grew up with romantic notions of the Canadian landscape and a respect for the great painters who wove the fabric of Canadian national identity. He became fascinated with nature, and this encouraged him to explore the world around him through drawing, painting and photography from an early age.

Living in a country like Canada, with its vast untamed wilderness, dramatic scenery, diverse geology and four seasons, allowed the artist to develop a profound connection with, and appreciation of, the forces of raw nature. His landscape work directly conveys his deep respect for nature and its subtle, yet powerful, beauty and offers unusual and personal glimpses of breathtaking scenery.

Christidis’ body of work is the product of a lifetime of refining his creative approach which is documented and illustrated in a sixty-page, freely available ebook on MichaelCArtist.com. From his formal studies of design, art history, still photography and film, to years of experimentation with mediums, techniques and aesthetics and professional work experience, to his writings about artistic intent and creativity, Christidis has left no stone unturned in his quest for a cultivated methodology that he can truly call his own.

Christidis has exhibited in Canada and the United States.