Open Studio Weekend: 2
Sometimes an artist’s story can draw you in as much as his work. Chris DuFour is such an artist. His passion for art is infectious, and his journey inspiring.
DuFour was never trained as an artist. He traveled the world, visiting galleries along the way to feed his love of art. But it took a turning point in his life to inspire him to pick up a brush.
He hit a rough patch in 2005 that left him floundering and looking for something to lose himself in.
“I realized one morning when I woke up that it had to stop. I had to pull myself in a direction and find something to latch on to,” says DuFour.
But instead of getting lost, art is where he found himself. After buying supplies and building himself an easel, DuFour dove in and never looked back.
Since he had no formal training, he focused on simplicity in his pieces. His first serious painting, Window of Opportunity, features a sparse and barren landscape with a single square of lush color.
The tree quickly became a motif in DuFour’s early work, which included fluid, swirly branches on warm browns, yellows and reds. The pieces were an instant success at last year’s Open Studio Weekend. It was his first show.
“Open Studio is an opportunity for everyone—established artists, new up-and-coming artists. If it weren’t for that, I never would have gotten in,” he says.
Despite the looming recession and being virtually unknown, DuFour saw steady sales and even received several commissions following the event. This year, he hopes to build on that success.
Recently, he’s begun training with Rebecca Schweiger at The Art Studio NY to expand his vision. He also says his work tends to be more abstract these days as he experiments with materials and subjects.
“My eyes are just wide open like a kid in a candy store and it’s the best thing in the world,” he says.
For more information, visit Chris DuFour’s web site at www.dufourart.com.
This is the second piece in a series profiling artists exhibiting at Hartford’s Open Studio Weekend. The event begins with a gallery opening November 13th and runs 11 am to 5 pm November 14th and 15th. For more information, visit openstudiohartford.com.
4 Responses to “Open Studio Weekend: 2”
Chris – Looking forward to the November
show. See you there. ( hopefully before )
Love you – Mom
Chris, your paintings are beautiful and am so happy that you turned to something that you are excellent at!! God Bless and Good Luck!! Love, Stephanie your cous..
Great article!! Looking forward to seeing your new stuff at the next open studio.
Loved reading your bio! Congrats on all the success.