Chris May

I have been painting for over 30 years and I feel that now, after all these years, I am finally getting the hang of it. I am a figure and landscape painter working in oils and acrylics. I exhibit regularly in London and various galleries on the South Coast – I have on occasion exhibited in San Francisco and New York.

For me, drawing and painting are ways of communication and connection with places and people. They are also permanent explorations, finding new ways of looking deeper and interpreting the world. My paintings are often enquiries into the reality of the world that surrounds me and also of my place and role in this microcosm. Techniques are crucial as are the main elements of Art; form, content, mood & texture, exploiting the fascinating and infinite possibilities / physicality of paint.

Teaching art comes as a natural extension of my work as a painter. I have been teaching adults how to draw and paint from beginners to more experienced artists for over 20 years. I enjoy communicating my extensive studio experiences to enthusiastic students and I get a lot of satisfaction from watching people improve and grow in confidence. My goal is to help my students find themselves and their own idiosyncratic artistic expression. I teach new skills and techniques, but aim for these to be tools in exploring and discovering what is intrinsic and personal to each person. People work in different ways and I enjoy seeing their personality shine through in their work. I also learn a lot when watching other people’s paintings and painting style develop. It’s an alchemy that gives me satisfaction and simultaneously stimulates and inspires me in my own work.