Chris Holston Collection

A friend once exclaimed that my paintings were like "futuristic cave paintings." It was simple, primal - I appreciated the critique. Mostly, I related to it because of the carnal implications. I began to reflect on the cave paintings that have been discovered all over the world. There, often we find a familiar character. The beast, the four-legged animal, in some form or fashion, is often depicted. Grazing, being hunted or being the hunter - they are a main fixture of some of the human's earliest communication and perhaps unbeknownst to humans - their earliest creative endeavors. 

It seems that I, too, felt a beast in this body of work. Not as much the literal four-legged creature that we may call a Beast, but more on the concepts of what we may perceive as rogue, immortal or untamed, free, misunderstood, proficient or even as "beast" refers to, in the parlance of our time, being really good at something. In these thoughts - I explore the ideas of love and hate, forgiveness, understanding, and cultivating kindness as well as limitations, consequences, historic implications and the philosophy of natural order. From songs of migration to midnight lamentations - all of us - in our quiet corners, can recognize these beasts. We carry them. 

Whether it is to be nurtured, exorcised, banished, tamed or embraced - they are worth reckoning. These pieces represent my attempts. 

http://www.christopherholston.com/