About
Chris Gillis (b. 1974) is a New England landscape painter living on Cape Cod. He is both a plein-air landscape artist and studio painter with a deep-rooted fondness for the great outdoors and the natural world. His mediums of choice are gouache and acrylic. He is drawn to landscape subjects that have strong compositions, clear value relationships, and bursts of color. He is particularly intrigued by the old coastal scenes of Cape Cod and New England – the tidal pools, the salt marshes, the vast sky stretching over the bay, and the wooden structures bathed in soft morning or evening light.
Whether he's painting in the open air or in his studio, Chris strives to capture the moments of beauty that he encounters in the scenes around him. His ultimate goal through his paintings is to share this beauty with others.
He is a member of the American Impressionist Society and the Provincetown Art Association and Museum.
Background
Chris's journey as a creative has been long and rewarding. After studying design and business at UMASS Amherst, he honed his skills as a designer, working with companies such as Saucony, HIND, Legal Sea Foods, EF, and TEVA. However, his passion for painting never waned. On Cape Cod, he started studying with many of Charles Sovek’s students who were painting and teaching at the Creative Arts Center. He then studied at the Cape School of Art with some of Henry Henche's previous students, where he learned key fundamentals in color that he is still putting into practice today.
Showings
◆ 29th Annual Juried All Cape Art Show, First Place Acrylics. Chatham, MA (2024)◆ All Works Square or Small Juried show. Chatham, MA (2024)
◆ Winter Juried Show Provincetown (PAAM) curated by David Foley and Larry Collins (2023)
◆ Land to Sky Juried Landscape Painters Show Online/Canada (2023)
◆ Small Works Show, Cape Cod Museum of Art (2022)
◆ Cape Cod School of Art Seashore Point Show Provincetown (2022)
◆ Mariposa Gallery, Sandwich, MA (2010-11)
◆ Cape Cod 5 Orleans (2010)