Chris Reynolds

Artist Statement

Art for me is not about creating pretty images (although that may be a bi-product) I’m very much an artist that uses the process of making as a way of discovery, facing myself head on, questioning, following lines of enquiry; finding and revealing my truth before I pop this physical / mortal plane. It’s how my brain is wired and believe me, sometimes it’s not always been a welcomed skill, talent, propensity!

At the beginning of 2020 I was diagnosed with TNB - Triple Negative Breast Cancer. It’s an aggressive one, but after lots of medical interventions, I’m technically classed as being in remission. It was only detected after I'd had a fall and I pushed for a mammogram. It wasn't detectable by touch.

I’m not posting this to garnish sympathy, but only as a backdrop to my thoughts about approaching my work and how it can sometimes be a vehicle that unearths some interesting surprises.

Some months prior to my diagnosis, I knew I wasn’t feeling myself, I tired easily and always felt like my body was fighting something. My thoughts started to turn towards my personal footprint and future. I actually created a large construction called ‘Legacy’, which approached that very subject.

I also visited my GP a few times in a bid to get to the bottom of things. I rejected the Prozac. I categorically knew that it wasn't a mood / brain thing. So let intuition be your guide folks.
I will be forever grateful for that dramatic tumble, despite the loss of a couple of teeth and it being in the middle of a busy thoroughfare where people watched me morph into an advert for lip fillers!

I recently heard Tracey Emin speak of her cancer diagnosis and how subconsciously, it had been picked up in her work. As artists we often question our motivations, and when you see this inner knowing laid bare in your own creations, it’s strangely wonderous and life-affirming, especially when you’ve felt a deep satisfaction with some of the results.

Going forward it’s going to be interesting to see how my work will develop. Now that I’ve been let in on an inner secret, the challenge is to avoid being too contrived and allow myself to reconnect with that natural wisdom and naturally evolve.

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2021
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