Born in 1976, in Kalamazoo Michigan, Christopher Pendergast grew up traveling with his family. Having the opportunity to live in numerous locations within America and abroad led to a lifelong fascination with the differences between the various cultures he experienced. Specifically as they related to and affected people’s perception.

Attending school for many years in Europe also exposed Christopher firsthand to the work of the old masters from an early age.

Upon eventually returning to America Christopher explored his passion for the arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Spending the majority of his time studying in the advanced painting department, Christopher was granted his B.F.A. in 2000.

Currently Christopher divides his time between his studio, teaching, and traveling. Although he currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, much of Christopher’s work derives from his time spent on Martha’s Vineyard with his family.

Growing up as a foreigner in Europe I became aware of the difference between how I perceived myself and how others defined me. Television shows such as Dallas and Dynasty often had more influence on how I was perceived than my own actions. These stereotypes led me to examine the subjective nature of perception. My work explores the inherent conflict between simple objects or scenes and the complex perception that personal experience brings to a subject.

I bring my own perception of the subject to my work through the use of highly representative and heavily abstracted elements. At first glance, the literal elements of the paintings appear most significant. Upon further reflection, the role of the abstract components in providing a context for those literal elements becomes clear. The expressive nature of the abstract exists in contrast to the representative facets of my work. The act of resolving this tension between the literal and abstract is a symbolic exploration of the relationship between the subjective and objective aspects of perception. My paintings are the visual record of the complex internal dialogue that exists throughout this process. The subject matter, my knowledge of art history, materials, technique, methodology and my own narrative are all equivalent counterparts in this discourse

The nature of perception is further reflected throughout my creative process. Exhaustive photography of the subject allows for the creation of a collective perspective. As my internal dialogue develops the highly flexible nature of oil paint allows me to keep the work vital. And while at times I still seek the liveliness of canvas or linen, the precision of a uniform surface such as archival panel maintains a consistent ground upon which to watch the finished work unfold.