Featured artist: Chris Firger
Beach Colors, Provincetown, 12x16, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
By prioritizing color, contrast, and composition over representation, landscape painter Chris Firger is able to create a unique and immersive experience for viewers. Instead of simply reproducing a scene, he uses his artistic skills to capture a particular moment or feeling that he wants to convey.
The Basin, Perkins Cove, 10x10, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
Q: In college, you studied political science. After graduating and making a move to Boston to work in marketing, what led you to become a full-time artist?
Throughout my time in college and during those years working in the corporate world, I was always painting for my own enjoyment. It was a much-needed creative outlet. While I was unsure about where my career was going and if the job I had was right for me, I knew that I was at my best when creating something. Over the years, I became more passionate about painting, and with some encouragement and support from the people around me, I decided to take what was a hobby more seriously. I took some workshops, spent more late hours in the studio after work, and started to improve my craft. Each year, I’d see improvement, I’d sell a few more paintings, and I’d find myself even more excited to paint. Eventually, I started doing enough business to make the leap to full-time artist.
August, 12x9, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
Q: You are inspired by the Canadian landscape painters, The Group of Seven. In what ways does their work influence yours?
Early in my painting career, I was introduced to the world of Canadian landscape painting through my wife and my father-in-law (who is a Canadian painter himself). I was immediately struck by the work of The Group of Seven. These painters from the early 1900s explored elements of design, color, and contrast that I had never seen. Their passion for the landscape around them was being expressed through the bold choices they made on the canvas. That’s something I aspire to do with my own work.
Surf Report, 12x16, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
Q: Incredibly, you are a self-taught artist. What struggles did you encounter when you started painting?
In my experience, the technical aspects of painting were the most intimidating to learn on my own - things like knowing what materials to use and how to work with different paints and mediums. I was lucky enough to take a few workshops with other artists, where I learned a lot of those skills. Most of the other challenges I encountered (and still encounter) were on the mental health side of things. It’s easy to doubt yourself when you’re learning. I found it important to look for positives in each painting and trust that practice works (it does!). Depending on what your goals are, there can also be a lot of rejection along the way to becoming a painter - being turned down from galleries, not getting into juried shows, not selling paintings that you think are great. I’m still working on developing a thick skin in that sense. I think it comes with the territory of putting so much of yourself out there for people to react to.
The Beach House, 14x18, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
Q: Your work is simplified yet exquisitely detailed. How did you develop your distinct style?
I’ve found that personal style develops slowly and organically. You start by emulating paintings and painters that you like, and over time, parts of your personality start to show up in your paintings. I never decided that this is what I wanted my paintings to look like - it just happened the more I painted.
Edge of the Atlantic, 10x10, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
Q: Each of your paintings starts with a warm underpainting. Tell us a bit about this process.
I do like to start each painting with an underpainting. There are a bunch of reasons for this. First, the underpainting helps me to see the design of the painting in lights and darks as I get started. It’s a way to have the whole thing mapped out so that I can make adjustments as needed. Second, that underpainting color shows through successive layers of paint, bringing a general warmth and cohesion to the whole painting. Finally, I prefer to paint on top of paint instead of on top of plain canvas or white gesso. I find that acrylic paint goes on smoother when applied on top of an underpainting.
A Few More Miles, 10x8, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
Q: Your use of blues and teals creates harmony across all of your paintings. Is this intentional or coincidental?
Coincidental, I think. I try to focus more on value (lights vs. darks) than color. Maybe I like blue more than I thought, though!
Saturday on Commercial, 16x20, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
Q: Watching you paint is genuinely fascinating. What is your favorite step of a painting?
Thanks! Toward the end of working on a painting, there are details that start to bring everything to life. That’s always a fun and satisfying part of the process.
Visitor Parking, 10x10, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord
Q: What do you love most about Ampersand panels for your work?
A few things. First, there is consistency and quality to Ampersand panels that are hard to find anywhere else. When you paint at the volume I do, it’s really frustrating if even a small percentage of your panels or canvases have a flaw. With Ampersand, I don’t think I’ve ever had to return a panel. Second, my work often depends on nice, clean lines of paint. Ampersand Gessobord has just the right amount of texture for me to create hard edges and lines - especially on smaller paintings where those details matter so much.
Artist Bio:
Chris Firger is a landscape painter born in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1989. He studied at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and currently works out of his studio in Salem, Massachusetts. Chris's work can be found in galleries and private collections in the US and abroad. To see more of Chris's work visit his website, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
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