~ Artist's Statement~

While I am working in the studio I am, like most artists working today, largely preoccupied with process. However for me, process is only valuable in the service of the idea. If my work achieves a high level of craftsmanship, those elements of the work are minimally self-referential. Each piece is simply made in a manner that will give the idea more strength and stability, and allow it to communicate more clearly with the audience through visual and/or tactile captivity and emotional reaction, as well as through intellectual process.

My ideas revolve mainly around notions of the figure as identity, time and death, religion, and the psychological and occult origins of religious and political tradition. I am interested in what makes each of us unique, as well as what makes us function together as a collective. I am also interested in the concept of "will over circumstance" and how that is utilized on individual as well as cultural scales.

When I paint a figure I am trying to see the being behind the figure, and then to describe that being through the face and body, without the use of ornamentation or cultural reference to prestige and affluence or poverty and servitude. What really matters are relationships, and often times in a consumer age these relationships would be better transcribed without the use of materiality. Whether it is our relationship to God within ourselves, to the world around us, or to each other. Even when I paint a solitary figure, I want every relationship that they have to be felt by the viewer.

Christopher Wilke, January 1 2011

 

~ Portraits ~

Family Portraits

The most eloquent statement of family unity is found in a life sized family portrait. It has the ability to preserve, for future generations to come, that rare moment when our lives are interlaced daily with those of our loved ones.

A formal family portrait can only become more cherished with the passing years. Its timelessness transcends the changes we face in our lives. It captures a life long treasure with elegance only through the dedication of a truly masterful artist.

Christopher Wilke is a master of group and family portraits, a task that most portrait painters will avoid. With his years of experience with private commissions as well as working with the most exclusive studios on the east coast, he has become a master of capturing the essence of the family dynamic.

Individual Portraits

Whether formal or informal, a portrait should display not only the accurate physical likeness if the sitter, but depict his or her inner world as well. Calm and serene, vivacious and energetic, or stern and determined, we should see first the spirit that the portrait portrays, and then the subtle nuances of the likeness should begin to impress themselves upon us.

The key to a great portrait is the creation of a mood, wherein the sitter recognizes him or herself, not overall, but in a specific facet. A portrait by Christopher Wilke shows not only the character but the density of a person. Every detail and nuance is under full control, and yet the poise is elegant, powerful, and natural.