About Chris

Chris Rankin is a man of many talents with a passion to create. He has been creating "stuff" since his mother first gave him the various tools to do so. As a child, anything he could get his hands on was fair game to be part of his creative exploration. Whether it was balsa wood, a simple crayon or oil pastel. If it could be drawn, painted, nailed, molded or glued together... something fun was going to be created. Fast forward fifteen years…Chris moves to Ohio and graduates from the Columbus College of Art and Design…fast forward again. Twenty five years later and Chris has found himself yet another interesting tool to be part of his creative toolkit. This time it comes straight from Mother Nature. Beeswax and fire. Two of the most natural substances know to man. Chris has been featured in numerous exhibits in the Central Ohio region. He is part of many corporate and private collections including the Columbus Convention Center as well as the Columbus Hilton collection. Chris is a past board member of the Ohio Art League.

Encaustic (painting with wax)

Encaustic is the term used to describe the medium of using pigments mixed with hot wax that are burned in as an inlay. Encaustic is an ancient medium and encaustic paintings were discovered in the Egyptian tombs thousands of years ago. Chris started exploring the encaustic medium about sixteen years ago. The versatility of the medium gives him the freedom to do a variety of different styles and effects. He currently paints stylized landscapes with super saturated colors. The farms and fields are representational of some of the beautiful lands that surround the midwest.

The encaustic medium is starting to have a bit of a resurgence. Keep an eye out for it as you explore the galleries. And next time you come across a piece of encaustic artwork, take a moment, look closely, smell it, touch it if you dare... We guarantee you'll want to.