Austin, TX

“The relationship between the artist and their canvas is one of give and take. It is fluid. It requires the artist to be open to energy and a consciousness beyond themselves.” Chris Van Loan Sr. feels that this quote by author and artist Dr. Carl B. Gacono accurately describes his creative process. Chris is not completely sure what moves him to create art but he feels driven by a need to bring something unique into being that did not exist before.

By day, Chris is a tech writer and by night or his general free time, he pursues creativity. Creativity defines his family as well - he and his wife and children share in their love for music, the spoken word, and general expression. 

His approach starts with a blank canvas, paint and paint tools (brushes, scrapers, palette knives, spatulas, and basically any object that he find that helps him create). He usually pours paint on to the canvas and then starts painting as inspiration moves him. Being a musician (singer/guitarist) influences Chris’ art as he sometimes paints guitars that contain elements of abstraction. Chris has also studied Reiki and Tai Chi in the past, so the concept of movement and energy flow from those practices often come into play.

Chris feels that being an ArtLifting artist moves him closer to his goal of eventually becoming a full-time artist. He keeps the following quote by Rumi on the wall of his home studio, “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy." Aside from ArtLifting, Chris runs a group on Facebook for Black artists to share their work and support each other. He comments that Black artists are not often known for their expressionist / abstract work, but are usually thought of as portrait painters. This online network unites artists who are often underrepresented in the art world, in an effort to build visibility, support, and community.