Featured Artist: Chris Walker

Many of artist Chris Walker's projects begin with sketches, like this alligator, shown here as the initial sketch (right), in progress (above) and the finished work below, measuring ten feet long by three and a half feet high.

Coastal Inspiration Artist Chris Walker

“I had come to a place where I was meant to be. I don’t mean anything so prosaic as a sense of coming home. This was different, very different. It was like arriving at a place much safer than home.” Pat Conroy

Chris and Susie Walker have found home. A place where Spanish moss sways in the wind from the branches of live oaks, the moorhens can be heard cackling in the distance and the salty sweet smell of molasses comes from the marsh. These are the sights, sounds and smells that inspire local Sunbury artist Chris Walker.

You may have seen his murals driving down Ford Avenue in Richmond Hill – a Henry Ford era iceberg lettuce shipping label painted in 2007. More recently a vintage looking postcard mural welcoming visitors on the side of Charlie Grainger’s, the Ford Trimotor plane mural with an inspirational quote on the Exclusive Engravings building, or two murals in J.F. Gregory Park. In addition to murals, Chris’s paintings and sculptures can be found in many low country homes and estates along the coast. Originally from Savannah, Chris hasn’t always lived in the land that inspires his work. He spent many years moving across the state of Georgia while honing his craft. After graduating with a BFA in illustration from the Ringling School of Art & Design, Chris settled in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains, working for one of the nation’s leading producers of fine, hand-painted furniture. Always lingering in his mind, Chris missed the coast desperately.

In 2003 he was given an opportunity that would put his skills to the test. A builder at the prestigious Ford Field and River Club called Chris to faux finish some walls and paint a mural in a custom home. Within a few weeks of the project’s completion, the phone was ringing with one job after another, and continued like this for years, leading to his return to his beloved coast.

Chris and Susie met several years ago, at a cemetery of all places! Both love to volunteer and help with community projects and it was during a cleanup of a cemetery in Sugar Hill, Ga., that the two met and became friends. They had a lot in common: the outdoors, automobiles and working with their hands. Susie and Chris traveled to the coast working on projects together, including the installation of a 60-piece sculpture at a residence on Tybee Island and painting faux finishes for Savannah florist John Davis.

Eventually the two tied the knot on Tybee. By the fall of 2019, the couple began looking at homes, dreaming of a place on the coast. Chris recalls the day he found a home in the historic village of Sunbury. He took a video of the home at night, sent it to Susie and said, “This is it!”. It wasn’t until after closing that Susie saw the house for the first time! Luckily for him, she loved the home, nestled along dirt roads with a view of the Medway River, stately live oaks and coastal breezes.

Susie is a master gardener and it didn’t take long to get her hands in the sandy soil. Her love of plants has transformed the once barren yard. The Walker’s work can be seen throughout the home: custom oil paintings, textiles printed with Chris’s artwork and a mural of Sunbury-inspired toile in the guest bath. Hand painted vintage signs based on local attractions (some long gone, like Chico’s Monkey Farm) hang on the exterior garage wall.

The couple purchased the lot next door with a vision to expand and build a guest house and an art studio where they’ll continue to collaborate. The studio will house a plasma cutter and mig welder, along with a wheel and kiln for Susie’s pottery. The couple envision a gathering spot for neighbors, friends and other local artists inspired by the surroundings. A home that was meant to be.

Above: Iron and epoxy mixed media sculptures modeled after lowcountry flora and fauna that are actually found on each client's property. Below: Two steps in the process of creating a mural of Henry Ford (center) meeting with J.F. Gregory (right), the superintendent of Ford Plantation. The finished mural can be seen in J.F. Gregory Park, in Richmond Hill. Ford is holding a piece of plastic created from corn. There's a plaque with more of the story beside the mural.

Chris does highly detailed paintings of fish, including this sheepshead (left) and redbreast sunfish (right).

Sketch and finished work for a local resident that features in a larger map of the Georgia coast.

The pencil sketch of how Chris envisioned the wall mural in this coastal home (left). Above, a larger image of the Brittany spaniel in the painting. At right, Chris works on a quail in the far left of the mural.

This map of early St. Simons Island prior to development was created using a technique featuring Geso plaster over burlap.

Above left: Commissioned for a local vet practice owner. Above right: Painted during covid, this mural features Ford's trimotor plane and an inspirational quote. Mural is on the side of Exclusive Engravings in Richmond Hill.

A whimsical piece for a client on Skidaway Island who wanted something for a child's playroom. It was inspired by a mural at the Reynold's Mansion on Sapelo Island. A studio shot of Chris at work on a large painting of oysters on copper panel.

You can check out more of Chris’s artwork on his Facebook page at C. N. Walker Designs, or on his website at www.cnwalkerdesigns.com.

He’ll be happy to talk with you to discuss any special projects you might like to commission for your home or business. cnwalkerdesigns@gmail.com (912) 441-0409