Chris Eastham is a figurative painter who works across a range of media including painting, printmaking and digital art.
Chris is a Leeds born artist who started her formal training at Jacob Kramer College( now Leeds Arts University) where she gained a distinction. She then studied Fine Art at Nottingham Trent where she drew and painted the life model.
Chris has always felt indebted to her art training both for the time it allowed her to develop practical skills but also in the wealth of knowledge she gained from studying art History. This background provided a strong foundation not only for her own practice but also for the long career in teaching art to others.
Since 2017, Chris has practiced professionally as an artist working from Patrick studios in Central Leeds. She loves the community and other artists to engage with there. She enjoys having a space in which to make and reflect upon her work. The close proximity to Leeds City Centre means she has access to local galleries and other arts groups.
The figure is central to her work. A particular focus on portraiture led her to be a successful contestant on the popular television program, Sky Portrait Artist of the Year in which she painted actor, Zawe Ashton and made it through to the quarter finals. This led to many more portrait commissions.
Chris’ main medium is painting, primarily in oils. Her printmaking technique is mono type for portraiture. She uses digital media mainly to explore and develop her ideas. She was delighted to be chosen along with nine other artists to produce work for a Leeds City Council Public Art commission. The art work which was drawn digitally using Procreate for iPad is now displayed on Neville Street in Leeds. It celebrates the people and culture of Leeds, past and present. Subsequent to the commission there has been a shift in focus from working directly from life to the inclusion of a greater narrative element. She has started to introduce motifs and associations with people from the past and present to evoke a memory or emotion that connects with the viewer.
Chris regularly teaches portraiture in printmaking, painting and procreate for iPad at Leeds Print Workshop.
Her work is exhibited in private and public galleries in the UK and with collectors at home and abroad.
