The artwork of James Christensen speaks to the imagination.  Inspired by myths, fables, and fantasies.  His characters come in all sizes, but (of course) I focus on the fat characters.

What I love about Christensen’s work is the detail.  The fantastic, meticulous detail.  Christensen employs many-layered medieval and Renaissance clothing; and as he explains, “hunched backs symbolizing the burdens we carry in life.”

The faces are amazing.  Some lovely, most – not so much – but all are intriguing.  Almost all of his characters are male and a goodly number are elderly.  The faces speak of a life lived. Each character seems to be pulled from the pages of a fairytale. 

Many of Christensen’s works feature fish – he explains:

“In my paintings a fish usually symbolizes wonder and wisdom. I often paint a fish floating in the air to remind the viewer that this is a new reality, that there is magic in the world.”

Weaving dreams, hopes, fears, and humor into the fabric of everyday life, Christensen has created many enchanting works of art. “My paintings are meant to excite the imagination and invite the viewer to become a participant in the creative process,” says Christensen. https://artifactsgallery.com/art.asp?!=A&ID=643

Thank you for the invitation Mr. Christensen.  I for one, am happy to accept. 

Mr. Christensen was a prolific artist.  He passed away in 2017 from cancer; so there will be no new trips into the imagination of James Christensen but he has left plenty for us to enjoy.

Here are some of my favorites and I invite you to check out more of Christensen’s work on my Pinterest page devoted to his art:  https://www.pinterest.com/terriweitze/fat-art-james-christensen/