View of a Town from the Highway  oil on canvas  60 x 105″  $7500

My work is inspired by the highly developed landscapes in which we spend the vast majority of our lives. Through a highly abstracted vocabulary, I’ve been working on a visual narrative about these environments, urban, suburban and industrial, that both invites then denies entry into any particular illusionary space.

I’m intrigued by how these environments affect my daily state of mind; how, when traveling anywhere in the contemporary landscape, I find myself continually fluctuating between feelings of comfort and claustrophobia; dependence and danger; boredom and restlessness.

This piece, part of my ongoing reflection on these man-made spaces, is from my most recent series, Suburban Paintings.

Christopher Pelrine