Check out Chris Hodge’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Hodge.

Chris, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I started making artwork at a very early age. My parents encouraged me to think creatively and to always be making and building things. When I started elementary school I became excessively shy. I found it very difficult to communicate with my peers and was too nervous to really talk with the teacher. Art really became a way for me to have a voice in the classroom. I could say things with my art that I couldn’t say with my words, and the attention that I received from making art kept me making more.

I got more serious about art making in high school, and had more than a few influential teachers that encouraged me to continue. In college I majored in art, and received a minor in Education. In my first year of teaching high school art I found it difficult to continue making art with all of the responsibilities of the new career. Finally, one day during a preparation period I started to doodle again. I started drawing in ink like I had previously done when I was in high school, and I found it familiar and comforting. I made artwork in private for several years before starting to display my work publicly. My first show was at a place called Limestone Coffee and Tea in downtown Batavia. Showing my artwork at that coffee shop lead to meeting new people, and doing more art shows. Eventually I started to connect with the local art community, and have felt very fortunate for all of the opportunities that have been offered to me.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My artwork has been described as “obsessive narrative.” I like to tell stories through my highly detailed and sometimes slightly disturbing ink drawings. These stories are often based in literature, myth, and my personal faith. Many of the themes I explore depict the human relationship with nature versus our relationship with technology. A lot of my artworks warn against excess; over-reliance on technology; and our loss of solitude and synchronicity with nature.

What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
My best advice is to stick with your passion. It can be so easy to cast your artwork aside to pursue more practical and lucrative endeavors. Art may not fill your pockets, but it can fulfill you… I understand that you probably won’t make your living making art, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t include it into living your life.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I have a few upcoming festivals, and shows. I will have a booth at Art on the Prairie in Warrenville on September 15th-16th and a booth at the Aurora Greenfest on September 22nd 2018. I will also have a show titled “In the Marvelous Real” in the Main Gallery of Water Street Studios in Batavia during the Month of October, and am continually participating in the monthly ArtBar shows located at Two Brother’s Roundhouse in Aurora.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chodgeart.com
• Email: diebox1984-art@yahoo.com
• Instagram: Follow me on Instagram: @chodgeart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Chris-Hodge-115537621869917/
• Twitter: Follow me on Twitter: @chodgeart

Image Credit:
All Artwork is owned by Chris Hodge

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