Nature

Chris Ballantyne’s work focuses on vernacular architecture and observation of the American landscape.  Banal features of suburban and industrial zones are sources for paintings that highlight the quirky and absurd.  Ballantyne states that, “Growing up in a military family and moving to different parts of the country, there was a certain familiarity to the kinds of houses and neighborhoods. They were a series of suburban developments built in separate regions of the country, always on the outskirts of larger cities, at the exit ramps of interstate highways, and all very similar in age and design.  My own notions of space developed out of this cultural landscape which was striving for an indidvidual sense of personal space,  consciously economic, and somewhere between urban and rural.” Dysfunctional structures are flawless in their strangeness, made beautiful through symmetry, simplified lines and flat, subdued colors. Ballantyne eliminates detail to emphasize the subtleties of the way we experience space and our attempts at containment. He extends these concepts further by expanding the imagery of his paintings beyond the picture plane and onto the surrounding walls. “Most of my works involve combinations of various places, drawn from memory. As well, my own interests in skateboarding and surfing altered how I saw  the use of these structures ranging from empty pools, sidewalk curbs, to ocean jetties in a way that tied in to my sense of this larger push and pull between culture and nature.” With shrewd restraint, Ballantyne accentuates the antisocial effects of our built environment with a hint of humor and plenty of ambiguity. A curious emptiness permeates the work of Chris Ballantyne. Graphically rendered buildings, pools, parking lots, and fences take on new meanings and amplified significance, isolated on flat fields of color.

Levi Walton is a photographer and director from Panama, currently living in Brooklyn, NY. Select clients include Converse, Timberland, New Era Cap and others. Levi shoots film and digital, loves tacos, fireworks and traveling the world.

Art market entrepreneur, book author and University professor 

Qingyu Wu (Q) is an award-winning designer, krautrock lover, and cult film dedicated fan based in New York City. Qingyu holds a BFA in Graphic Design from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MFA in 2D Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Her work has been recognized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), the Type Directors Club (TDC), and China Graphic Design Association (CGDA). Featured by AIGA Eye on Design, It's Nice That, People of Print, Ficciones Typografika, Women of Graphic Design and more. Qingyu received the Golden Award at The A' Design Award & Competition 2018, Gold Award from CGDA 2017 Graphic Design Academy Award, and Certificates of Typographic Excellence Award from TDC 64. She has lectured at the Art Center College of Design, Parsons School of Design, and Pratt Institute.