Frederick County s past comes to life in Chris Carr s watercolors that portray images of places and things around the county that seem almost frozen in time.
Preservation in Paint Myersville Watercolorist Keeps History Alive BY NAOMI PEARSON PHOTOGRAPHY BY TURNER PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO I IT TURNS OUT YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN. WHEN THE ECONOMY TOOK A NOSEDIVE, CHRIS CARR LOST HIS JOB AS A GRAPHIC DESIGNER IN MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. Like so many Americans, unemployment meant Carr had to consider all his options. He eventually decided to return home to Frederick. Yet initially, the employment picture in the Frederick area looked as dim as it did in South Carolina. As the days turned into weeks of fruitless and discouraging searches for employment, Carr s wife made a life-altering suggestion. Why don t you paint? Shawn Lees-Carr asked, hoping it would counter her husband s ever-increasing crankiness and redirect his energies and frustrations creatively. Although he had learned watercolor techniques as a teenager at Thomas Johnson High School under the tutelage of renowned Frederick watercolorist, the late Barry Richardson, Carr had not so much as picked up a paintbrush in 20 years. I didn t even want to start; I didn t have the confidence at first, he says, but by doing more and seeing my art develop, I gained more confidence. fredmag 117
Carr s photorealistic style pulls the reader back to capture the true feeling of Frederick s rustic landscape like these images of the Utica Mills covered bridge (above), a classic Farmall tractor (right) and the Crick Hollow Farm (below, right). And of course, his wife supported and encouraged him along the way. THE PAST IN PAINT Eventually, Carr landed a full-time consultant job for a local advertising agency. But he takes advantage of his flexible work schedule to spend Tuesdays in his Myersville studio, where he continues to refine his watercolor skills and his signature style, which can best be described as photorealism. One day, he hopes to be able to pursue art full-time. In the meantime, he works on one painting at a time, in two- to three-hour stretches, completing each in about a month, capturing the essence of Frederick s past as it appears in the present. He scours the county with his camera, finding inspiration in historic structures, old vehicles and farm equipment, dilapidated buildings and sleepy streets that seem almost frozen in time. His series, Weather Preserved, which features antique, rust-worn vehicles, has been compared to photographer Marc Weinberg s weathered truck images. Carr acknowledges shared similarities in style, but while Weinberg s photos feature close-ups of details, Carr s paintings pull the viewer back to see the vehicle in the context of a full setting, telling its story in a single scene. I m trying to capture the whole image: the house, the tractor and the land, he says. Notwithstanding, Carr says he s getting away from old vehicles as the focal point of his work and doing more landmarks. As he makes other transitions in his style, his original themes might remain, but only as a small part of the larger image. What won t change, however, is the intentional nostalgic feel of his 118 fredmag
In this winter scene of the Schifferstadt Museum, Carr s detail-oriented technique is clearly seen in the attention he gives to the stones, each of which was painted individually. paintings that captures older things in the region, as do the works of his mentor Richardson and Richardson s brother, Harry. I like older vehicles and buildings, Carr says, but it s getting harder to find subjects. New development or disrepair and dilapidation have caused many to disappear. He does that by emphasizing the details with crispness and precision. In one work, he painted the individual stones of a nearly two-century-old chapel, rather than an overall impression of the stonework. could have gone into photography instead, but Carr strives for photo-real quality in his work because he likes the challenge. It really feels good to see the end result, he says. He realizes that his return to I AM TRYING TO GIVE IT MY OWN TAKE, TO MAKE IT MY OWN. THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE DETAILS Carr admits that other artists, including the Richardson brothers, have already featured some of the same subjects he has tackled in their work. But that doesn t deter him from addressing the same subject. As he says, I m trying to give it my own take, to make it my own. Each painting begins with a sketch based on photographs from his subject-finding journeys. That s especially important for works that are perspective-heavy, he says. As a detail-oriented person, he says he s trying to further develop his technique to perfection, which to him means that maybe one day he will look at his paintings without finding anything to criticize. Of course, he painting might have affected his other work. It makes me want to push the envelope in graphic design more, he says, adding that it has expanded his creativity. Carr is also considering new artistic challenges. He recalls seeing an episode of 60 Minutes which mentioned that post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh completed a painting a day. But that s not easy to do with detail work, 120 fredmag
Above: I m finding that balance between what speaks to me and what speaks to others, Carr says of his work. Right: The Eyler s Valley Chapel (right) and Zentmyer stone springhouse (below, right) are indicative of the nostalgic images Carr likes to paint. he says. You need a looser style for that. However, he admits that might be an interesting exercise for developing a more free-form style, which he resisted when his former art teachers steered him toward it. In the future, he says he might even enter the Easels in Frederick en plein air competition. PUBLIC SPEAKING But for now, he s focusing on refining and marketing his work and taking command of his entire art career. Carr says the process has been an eye-opener, as he s learned a lot by trial and error, from buying the wrong supplies to doing his own framing and promotion. In his second year of doing art shows, he sells prints and eight different varieties of notecards, carrying small batches of his work. He says he has a small (and growing) following, but needs a larger one to be able to afford to paint full-time and expand to other themes and more subjects. Carr also considers the feedback he receives at the shows. Some people ask about portraits, but most request more town scenes and more Frederick city scenes. He doesn t do portraits (at least not yet, he says). Those you gotta get just right. But he may add people to some scenes. His piece entitled Jefferson features a street in the town, but the only person is the shadowy hint of the driver of the truck turning a corner. He has also done commissions, but admittedly not quite with the same enjoyment as paintings based on his own vision. Still, he tries integrating what people want with what he is passionate about, and wants to paint and to convey. I m finding that balance between what speaks to me and what speaks to others, he says. FM 122 fredmag