Christopher Martin Hoff
Gallery Affiliations: Linda Hodges Gallery
Region: Pacific Coast
The edited landscape—as informed by consumer culture, and populated with monuments of an industrial age now in decline—is the primary focus of my work as an “en plein air” painter. Implementing a meticulous technique in working directly from the subject, often for months at a time, my work explores the contemporary landscape through the lens of traditional Realism. From this juxtaposition of subject and technique many challenges emerge. Does the painting evolve with the landscape? Is there a way to document pervasive advertising in the built environment without becoming complicit in their propaganda? What happens if corporate logos and graffiti are given equal billing? The dialogue generated by this process emphasizes just how connected the visible articles of our culture are with the layout of the physical landscape. The careful process of revealing these artifacts, absent of their creators, and giving them context is the premise of my work.