Christopher Lees, b.1969
Victoria, Australia
Opal miner turned landscape painter Christopher Lees breathes new life with his arresting landscapes. Lees reflects an authority in his brushstrokes which is evident in his monumental perspectives of the Australian terrain.
In his twenties, Lees travelled extensively throughout remote Australia, working as an opal miner. Now based in rural Victoria, his experiences of the outback unravel on the canvas in panoramic and dioramic form. Lees exaggerates space and the elements of the Australian landscape to give his paintings a theatrical effect, utilising colours as the key catalyst to create their meditative yet magnetic appearance.
Lees’s process is straightforward. He begins with a sketch which organizes the painting, creating a sense of balance and proportion that is transposed onto the canvas, working to achieve a composition that is harmonious. The resultant landscapes are still, stark, and mysterious. Devoid of people and fauna, they echo the experience of the painter in the studio with only his creative muse for company.