CHRISTOPHER HYNES

American, b. 1957

Christopher Hynes, the youngest of 10 children, grew up in Washington, D.C. around artists, writers, and politicos. As a young man, he played in a rock & roll band until 1988 when he turned to the visual arts full time. He is primarily self-taught and has had numerous solo and group shows throughout the United States over the past 20 years. He has lived in Austin, TX since 1984.

Hynes's work is influenced by the work of Joseph Cornell, although it departs from his style by working the sides of the boxes, activating the walls both inside and out, and painting the complete box. Other influences point to Man Ray's collages, Robert Rauschenberg and the found-object movement.

Artist Statement

I'm basically a third generation color field painter with a passion for creating assemblages and field paintings on wood and paper. My assemblages are puzzles, incorporating my color paintings and using found objects - the aged and broken bits of our culture's debris that explore life and the world we live in. I juxtapose objects and artifacts that are incongruous but work together in an intriguing way around a central theme, which is sometimes serious and political, or sometimes whimsical and humorous. I like to think of my work as visual poems. The constructions are a form of storytelling, and I love to tell my stories. -C.H.