Have paintbrush. Will travel.

A lifelong resident of Wheatfield, Indiana, Chris Whitaker is a self-taught artist best known for his oil paintings that reflect his love for the quiet and serene. Chris felt a strong urge toward artistic pursuits from a young age. His earliest memory of drawing was when he spent hours copying the Jiggs & Maggie and Mutt & Jeff comic strip cartoons from every Sunday newspaper. From then on, he sketched as often as he could until age ten when he completed his first oil painting.

His extensive travel throughout his life has provided him with authentic knowledge that enables him to paint some of the finest representations of rural America. A committed realist, most of his early works feature subject matter that he has invented in his mind by drawing on memories of traveling or growing up in a small Midwestern town. However, his more recent works reflect a more flexible style, with varied and unusual props. In his studio, Chris is surrounded by his collection of antique signs, toys and memorabilia, many of which inventively find their way onto his canvas. His unique composition and style shows off his prideful ability to be a versatile artist. While his works may not be readily identifiable with one specific subject matter, a noticeable theme runs throughout his collection. Whether it be a street scene, a landscape, or a depiction of a chaotic chalkboard, each painting weaves a story and confronts the viewer with a feeling of nostalgia for a simpler, slower time and can often evoke childhood memories in a person of any age.

Chris spends much of his time in his art studio and traveling around the country entering juried art shows. His paintings have made their way around the globe and can be found in private and corporate collections across the United States and in Mexico, Brazil, France, England, Hungary, Russia, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Japan, India, Australia, Switzerland, and The Netherlands.