Artist Statement
My paintings are inspired by the emotion and raw energy of my ultra-vivid dreams. A mercurial process, often fast and explosive, my approach is characterized by vigorous brush/trowel strokes and intensely contrasted color. Influenced by Japanese calligraphy and gestural painting, I use saturation of color and bold shapes to evoke spatial relationships and a sense of velocity, rather than objective reality. Devoid of obvious subject matter, the interplay of tension and harmony is the key intention in my compositions. 

Biography
Christopher Douglas has been drawing and painting since he was a child. In his teens, Douglas became deeply involved in the early punk rock movement in San Francisco which galvanized his appreciation of underground art and music. At age 20, he realized a long-standing dream and went to Paris to study art. The confines of a formal art school environment proved too restrictive for his restless nature, however, and Douglas decided to move to New York and get back into the experimental music scene. During this period, he designed record covers and posters for the bands he played with as well as for those of other artists. Ultimately, Douglas was able to parlay those skills into a career as a graphic artist. In 2003, he created a line of award-winning modern furniture and spent the next four years selling and marketing the line. Douglas still does graphics and furniture design and has returned to his love of painting. Abstract expressionism seems to suit his experimental ethos just fine. He lives in Portland, Oregon.