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Seven X Five
Chris Pelchen
Seven X Five
4 February – 15 February 2025
hours:
Tuesday – Friday: 12pm – 7pm
Saturdays: 12pm – 4pm
admission: Free
… a modern tribute to the Heidelberg School’s 9×5 exhibition of 1889…
This unique exhibition features 7 x 5 inch paintings capturing iconic views of Melbourne by Chris Pelchen. A collection of 50 postcard-size streetscapes reflect many of the places loved by visitors and locals around Melbourne and Victoria. What makes them special are the different perspectives, light and angles that Chris chooses.
Chris is a modern impressionist and his art practices has been powerfully influenced by the Heidelberg school and the 9X5 exhibition of 1889. Chris pays tribute to them in this exhibition whilst bringing his own light, colour and form to these images. A must-see collection by a talented and respected artist today.
With his talent for painting with a brush, Chris became an award winning traditional Signwriter in the 1980’s, establishing his own business, Professional Signs, which has been operating successfully for over 35 years.
Chris reignited his love for creative painting in 2007 when he completed a number of courses at the CAE Melbourne College in Life Drawing and Portraiture. It is apparent from his portrait work that Chris has a unique ability to capture the “essence” of his subject. Chris has since completed several commissioned portraits for various clients.
Contemporary influence of artists such as Brett Whiteley, John Brack and Richard Larter have had a significant impact on Chris’ work. This influence, together with the experience Chris has gained in the signage industry over the years, has led Chris to experiment with different colours, materials, mediums and textures.
Chris lived in the Czech Republic and studied at Prague College doing technical drawing and life drawing at various studios, to enhance the quality and composition of portraits and drawing skills. Travelling to New York, London and Europe, he visited many galleries to study techniques and draw inspiration from the finest artists in the world.
Chris draws mainly from original photography for his subjects, “There is something magical about using a paint brush and depicting an image on a canvas, whatever the medium”.