Lonnie Chistopher

I think every artist at some point has to ask themselves why they want to be an artist. What it is about art that interest them and I think it can be very different for each person.

For me, it started with documenting things that I saw in nature. Textures, colors, or physical properties. How light refracted through a certain material, or how translucent some materials were.

When I really broke down why I wanted to be an artist it really came down to light, color, and texture. Those three things are really what I found myself noticing all the time. I really didn't care so much about the subject matter, or objects in a scene. I only really noticed the atmosphere. Everything else really just faded into the background to me.

In art school, I found myself drawn to colorfield and tonalism art movements because both really focused on the things I was interested in. Artist like Rothko who expansive canvases filled with layered color, and Turners atmospheric works always got and held my attention.

I find in my own work that I experiment and explore these elements over and over as if I am trying to solve a problem. That there is some perfect combination of light, color, and texture that will allow me to finally say 'That's it...

Pasadena Art Center