“This is a collection of paintings from my imagination mixed with inspiration I’ve gathered in the natural world. My art is influenced through skateboarding, traveling, and the different personalities I meet along the way. Most of what you see was done with acrylic paint on found canvas. Painting forces me to let go of micro details that often drive me nuts, thanks to the meticulous skateboarder side of my brain that strives for perfection. Sure, I could use finer paint or thinner brushes, but it’s the messy imperfections that make it more fun and real. I use painting as a creative outlet to let my mind wander and build off imaginative thoughts- in a space where precision doesn’t matter. Sometimes, it begins with pushing paint around until my mind starts forming shapes into images. I lean toward bright colors and blue skin tones. Maybe there’s a planet out there full of blue people that I lived on in a past life, and this is my way of reminiscing. Or maybe I just get bored of reality. “
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Chris Colbourn (b. 1991) was born and raised in Vermont. After high school, Colbourn moved to Los Angeles, CA, to pursue his passion for a career in skateboarding. While traveling the world with his skateboard, he earned an AA in Graphic Design. He excels at drawing and painting by hand; Colbourn loves using technology to expand his style and skills. His work has been shown around the U.S., including numerous exhibitions for Mountain Dew at Coachella (2017) and Dew Tour Long Beach (2019), a solo show at Uncommon Grounds in Burlington, Vermont (2019) to celebrate turning professional for Element Skateboards, where he went on to design his own board graphics and two apparel collections before parting ways to ride for Worble, a Vermont-rooted skate crew based in Los Angeles. He has also begun curating annual art fundraisers for Chill Foundation in Los Angeles (2022, 2023), was recently in a group show in Oceanside, “Collaboration” (2024), and had an editorial feature in Thrasher Magazine’s “Canvas” (May 2024). Colbourn’s art has also found its way onto signature products and video projects for companies that support him: Worble, Bronson Speed Co, Independent Trucks, Pepper Grip, Sleepwalk Ltd, Uncommon Coffee, Talent Skatepark, New Balance Numeric, as well as magazine advertisements, animations, and apparel. Colbourn currently lives and works in San Diego, CA.