Featured Artist Michael Christidis

Artist Michael Christidis presents a dynamic portfolio of architecturally-inspired art. See more from this talented illustrator by visiting his website.

 

 

I have been creating art for most of my life. My main inspirations are landscape and architecture.

 

 

As a child, I was always found drawing and was completely obsessed with an Etch A Sketch (a mechanical drawing device) that I used to draw abstract and geometric shapes and buildings. This was where my interest in architecture began. As a teenager, I began to explore the vast Canadian wilderness which, ultimately, inspired me to make landscape art.

 

 

I formally studied film, still photography and art and worked professionally as an artist, photographer and print maker based out of Toronto. Today, my focus is on my personal work.

 

 

Like many artists, I explored a variety of mediums and worked with different subject matter. I work traditionally with encaustic and acrylic paints as well as digitally. Mostly I choose to work in series/projects because they introduce design constraints and restrictions that provide context and a common approach for creating a group of works. I find this way of working can be quite challenging at times, yet it is how I have created the majority of my best work.

 

 

I believe that imagery needs a certain element of drama to stand out, but it also requires elements/qualities that engage the viewer. I study art and read about creativity, and I strive to make work that encourages consideration and a nuanced appreciation of my subject and, hopefully, of my artistic choices.

 

 

These illustrations are from two recent bodies of work that were inspired by modern architecture where buildings seem to push the boundaries of what is possible and incorporate fragmented structures arranged in seemingly unpredictable ways.

 

 

I’ve always been fascinated by how architects are able to conceive of such design concepts and elements and incorporate them into their craft—it’s just magic to me.

 

 

As one moves around such structures, one sees different things. The relationship between the various visual elements changes and introduces new forms and a different sense of space. It makes one wish they could get higher up for 3D views of the building. These experiences are what I attempted to convey in these works.

 

 

Creating these was both technically and visually challenging. I worked on these two projects over approximately a two-year period. Many went through several iterations before I felt that I had done my very best and was comfortable with the end result. My goal was to create multiple works, each unique and different from others in the series.

 

Michael Christidis invites you to follow on Instagram. 

 

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