We were lucky to catch up with Chris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chris , appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

When I think about whether I’m happy as an artist, I would translate “happy” more as “fulfilled,” and in that sense the answer is a resounding yes! I feel a strong sense of purpose and meaning in my work. I believe God has given me a skill to develop, and working within that gift brings me a lot of joy. I’ve held other jobs on and off over the years, but none of them have given me the same sense of alignment or fulfillment that painting does.
I’m so grateful that the only one that is bossing me around is me! I hear so many horror stories of terrible management, really awful co-workers, and incompetency across all careers, whether it’s a fast food joint or a nuclear power plant. That element of stress I don’t have to deal with. On the other side, I know all of the responsibility is on my shoulders and I have no one else to blame!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Virginia based artist and I paint baroque illustrative paintings that are mostly narrative. I paint to expressive my love of nature, love of God, storytelling, adventure and also to express what I don’t have words for. My foothold in to being a creative started in high school with an incredible English teacher, who talked the AP art teacher into allowing me to take her class a few months in to my senior year, with no previous art classes, on a trial basis. Without that English teacher seeing potential in a shy, awkward, gothic girl, I am not sure I would have had the confidence to pursue any kind of artisic path. That AP class went very well, and by the end of my senior year, I had applied to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where I ended up studying art.

My path was not straight forward, but more of a winding road . I became a military wife and a mom, focusing on my family, and painting became a once in a while thing, when I could carve out time. As my boys got older, I began to dedicate more and more time to painting and started posting each painting as they were created on social media. That picked up speed, and paintings started selling, and commissions started rolling in. After a year, it reached a tipping point where I realized my love for painting was becoming it’s own business. From there, opportunities opened up organically, and I am doing things I could never have imagined!

I now have a business (Wanderlust Gallery), which is my home/studio and work with clients, art collectors, my local city, galleries, museums, curators, decorators, magazines, and schools. One of the things I most enjoy is participating in beautifying our city through art projects and teaching classes. My hope is to lift up and inspire those who see my own art, and through teaching others skills. A very important aspect is how others connect with my work in very personal and meaningful ways. I want the viewer to see a piece of their story through my work, as if they’ve either been there before or a feeling that the painting evokes. That’s the magical connection that art has with it’s audience. I think what sets me apart is a unique, distinctive illustrative style that I describe has happy-gothic. My paintings might feel like old children’s book illustrations.

If I had to pin down what I’m most proud of, it would be that my art has made meaningful connections with people, often times to celebrate ,memories, honor loved ones that have passed, or even become encouragement for those going through cancer, or other really difficult times. Right now one of my paintings is displayed at the Sentara Brock Cancer Center that is titled Hope and Flight. I couldn’t ask for a better way to use my art as encouragement.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I have a few aspects that are very meaningful to me. Being an artist has pushed me to have a strong work ethic, mental toughness, and tenacity. I’m so grateful for the character building opportunities! I am equally grateful for the long lasting friendships I’ve made over the years, with art collectors, moms, business owners- all kinds of people from all walks of life, all made through art. I’m grateful that art has a capacity to bring people together in ways that otherwise wouldn’t happen.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I was one of those kids that really struggled with confidence and though I tried to mask it, that ugly lack of confidence persisted through my adult life. I think I became resilient by deciding those ugly feelings shouldn’t have a deciding factor on who I wanted to become as an artist and then moving forward with grit and determination. For me, resilience is acknowledging the feelings are hard, they are there, but they don’t get to boss you around.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @chrisjeanguenat
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanderlustandart