Artist Bio

Artist Bio

Christopher Reid is an internationally recognized artist who paints everything from portraits to landscapes to wildlife. Reid paints in pastel, acrylic, watercolor, and charcoal. His style has been described as “contemporary realism with an emphasis on color and depth.”

Chris was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He studied art at the famous Savannah College of Art & Design. He lives in Hermanus, South Africa with his wife, Kim, and son, David.

Artist’s Statement

“I am passionate about art, enjoy the act of creation, and hope to help people who view my artwork appreciate the beauty already around them. Too many people stumble through life without enjoying nature. Art is a form of communication and it is as important what you say as how you say it. I am an optimist at heart and I choose to use my art to talk about beauty.

Since nature provides the inspiration for art, I enjoy painting en plein air so I can be out in nature and incorporate all the senses into my paintings and better communicate an experience of the place. When I do paint from photographs, I am able to incorporate all the information I have observed from direct experience about color and light into my paintings. My portraits are informed by the thousands of life drawings I have done. For me art is a way to communicate a direct experience in a way that words cannot.”

Selected Awards

Pitchit Creative Influence Award (Feb 2022)
1st Place – IWS Poland Step By Step Competition (May 2019)
Finalist – Olympiart 2019, India (May 2019)
Finalist – Golden Turtle International Wildlife Art Competition(May 2019)
Finalist – 2019 Tollman Bouchard-Finlayson Tondo Competition (May 2019)
1st Place – DBCS Pastels Contest (May 2019)
Best In Show – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (March 2019)
Best Acrylic– Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (March 2019)
Commended Drawing – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (March 2019)
Top 30 worldwide – International Watercolor Exhibition, China (September 2018)
Finalist – 7th Pastel Biennial, Poland (November 2018) awards to be announced in 2019
Best Pastel – South African Society of Artists 112th Annual Merit Exhibition (August 2018)
Highly Commended Acrylic – South African Society of Artists 112th Annual Merit Exhibition (August 2018)
Highly Commended Pastel – South African Society of Artists 112th Annual Merit Exhibition (August 2018)
1st Place – SAA March Challenge, UK (March 2018)
Best in Class – Acrylic – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (March 2018)
Best in Class – Watercolor – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (March 2018)
Highly Commended Acrylic – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (March 2018)
Commended Pastel – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (March 2018)
People’s Choice – Freedom In Art (November 2017)
2nd Place – Constantiaberg Art Society Founder’s Trophy Competition (November 2017)
Top 100 – SANLAM Portrait Awards (September 2017)
Commended Acrylic – SASA 111th Annual Exhbition (August 2017)
1st Place – Still Life Painting & Drawing Contest (August 2017)
3rd Place – South African Portrait Society Competition (July 2017)
2nd Place – SASA Figure/Portrait Competition (July 2017)
1st Place – Hermanus FynArts Life Drawing Competition (June 2017)
People’s Choice – Jackson’s UK Pastel Landscapes Competition (June 2017)
1st Place – Fun With Acrylic Painting Self Portrait Contest (January 2017)
1st Place – Footprints Of Audubon contest (January 2017)
Judges’ Award – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (January 2017)
Best Watercolor – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (January 2017)
Best Acrylic – Western Cape Artists’ Society Annual Merit Exhibition (January 2017)
3rd Place – Constantiaberg Art Society’s Founders Trophy Competition (November 2016)
Merit Award – Richeson 75’s International Animals, Birds & Wildlife (November 2016)
1st Place – Imagine-Create-Do (July 2016)
Featured Artist on The Cyber Art Show (July 2016)
Publisher Choice Award – Art & Beyond – May/June 2016 issue
Best In Show – International Gallery Of The Arts – Top 100 Open Competition (March 2016)
1st Place – Weekly Art Battle’s Serenity Contest (December 2015)
1st Place – World Of Art Awards (September 2015)
Best In Category – Landfall Foundation’s 16th Annual Art Show & Sale (August 2015)
2nd Place – Boone Community Network Plein Air Paint Out (August 2015)
1st Place – in For The Love Of Water contest (July 2015)
1st Place – Fathers That Love Their Children contest (June 2015)
1st Place – Action Watercolor Paintings contest (June 2015)
2nd Place – Action Watercolor Paintings contest (June 2015)
2nd Place – A Single Flower contest (June 2015)
Merit Award – Maria V. Howard Center 58th National Juried Multimedia Art Exhibition (June 2015)
2nd place – Sajalskder contest (June 2015)
Selected as Featured Artist on Weebly blog (June 2015)
1st place – Inner Insect contest (June 2015)
1st place – Paintings Of An Actual Dream contest (June 2015)
1st place – 5 Star Artist Featured Contest (June 2015)
2nd place – Cary Plein Air Paint The Town (May 2015)
2nd place – Kinston Plein Air Paint-Out (May 2015)
1st place – Weekly Art Battle’s Eyes contest (May 2015)
1st place – Water And Birds Traditional Paintings contest (May 2015)
1st place – Portrait Paintings contest (May 2015)
1st place – New Mexico Paintings contest (May 2015)
1st place – Rose Paintings contest (May 2015)
1st place – Cats-Only Paintings contest (May 2015)
Best In Show – Southport Plein Air Paint-Out 2015 (April 2015)
Best In Show – Sampson Arts Council 2015 Juried Show (April 2015)
2nd place – Nature contest(April 2015)
2nd place – Fuquay-Varina Plein Air Paint-Out (April 2015)
1st place – Cutest Kittens Ever contest (April 2015)
2nd place – Nature contest (April 2015)
1st place – Human Portraits in Watercolor (April 2015)
2nd place – Un-Celebrity contest (April 2015)
2nd place – Human Face Expressions contest(April 2015)
2nd place – Un-Celebrity contest (April 2015)
1st place – Ideart Spring Show contest (April 2015)
1st place – Artists Table “The Figure” International Competition (March 2015)
Honorable mention – Artists Table “The Figure” international competition (March 2015)
2nd place – International Watercolor Competition (March 2015)
2nd place- Cephalapod contest (March 2015)
Honorable mention – Contemporary Art Gallery Online’s “All Paintings” international competition(March)
Juried Exhibition Winner – Linus Galleries Portraiture Show (March 2015)
Featured as an International Contemporary Emerging Artist (March 2015)
Chosen as special feature – The Gallery Wall FAA (March 2015)
1st place – Painted Kittens -Traditional Mediums Only (March 2015)
1st place – March Hare contest (March 2015)
2nd place – Favorites contest (March 2015)
2nd place – Magic of Winter contest (March 2015)
1st place – Family Pets contest (March 2015)
1st place – Sad Faces and Feelings contest (March 2015)
Juried exhibition winner – Linus Gallery’s The Blue Show (February 2015)
Chosen as special feature –  FAA Challenge Group (February 2015)
2nd place – Most Beautiful Cat Painting contest (February 2015)
2nd place – Rabbits in Drawings & Paintings contest (February 2015)
1st place – Squirrels Painting and Hand Drawings contest (February 2015)
2nd place – Eyes Paintings Only contest (January 2015)
1st place – The American Juried Art Salon’s 21st International Exhibition (January 2015)
Selected as Noteworthy – Colors of Humanity Art Gallery’s Open 2015 Show (January 2015)
Juried Exhibition Winner – Linus Galleries for The Seasons (December 2014)
Featured – painting of Bobby Szponder – Viet Nam War Memorial
Portfolio Scholarship – Savannah College of Art & Design (2000)
SAT Scholarship – Savannah College of Art & Design (2000)
Full Scholarship – UNCG (1993)

Exhibitions

FabrianoInAquarello 2023
XIV Bienal Internacional De La Aquarela, National Watercolor Museum of Mexico 2022
FabrianoInAquarello 2022
Out Of Africa Exhibition 2021
WASA International Exhibition 2021
Colors Of The Rainbow Nation International Exhibition, Somerset West, South Africa
Olympiart 2019, New Delhi, India
Premio Tlaloc International Exhibition, Mexico City, Mexico
SANLAM 100 Portrait Awards, Durbanville, South Africa
SASA 113th Annual Exhibition 2019, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
7th Pastel Bienniale, Nowy Sącz Poland
Kalfiefees Juried Art Exhibition 2019, Hermanus South Africa
2019 Tollman Bouchard-Finlayson Tondo Competition, Hermanus, South Africa
IWS Poland Step-By-Step Competition, Poland
SASA Merit Exhibition 2019, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
WCAS Merit Exhibition 2019, Bright Street Gallery, Somerset West, South Africa
IWSSA National Watermedia Exhibition, Art Curator Gallery, Somerset West, South Africa
Pieces for PAWS charity art auction, Melkbosstrand, South Africa
2018
IWS Country Leaders’ Exhibition, IWS Museum, Zhuji, China
Hout Bay Plein Air Festival, Hout Bay, South Africa
International Watercolor Society Exhibition, Hong Museum, Shanghai, China
IWSSA National Watermedia Exhibition, Grayston Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
SASA 112th Annual Exhibition 2018, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
SCAVA Annual Exhibition 2018, George, South Africa
CAS Winter Exhibtion 2018, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
Visual Safari – Annual Wildlife Exhibition, The Cape Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Kalfiefees Juried Art Exhibition 2018, Hermanus, South Africa
A Thread Runs Through It – Collaborative Exhibition, Hermanus, South Africa
En Plein Air – A Solo Exhibition by Christopher Reid, The Cape Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa
Christopher Reid – Chardonnay, Constantia, South Africa
Noordhoek Plein Air Festival, Noordhoek, South Africa
IWSSA National Watermedia Exhibition, Seapoint, South Africa
WCAS Merit Exhibition, Somerset West, South Africa
Original Cape Artists, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
Professional Cape Artists, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
SASA Merit Exhibition, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
CAS Spring Show, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
2017
2017 SANLAM Portrait Awards Top 100, Rust-En-Vrede, Durbanville, South Africa
SASA 111th Annual Exhibition 2017, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
CAS Winter Exhibtion 2017, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
Kalfiefees Juried Art Exhibition 2017, Hermanus, South Africa
2017 Tollman Bouchard Finlayson Tondo Competition, Hermanus, South Africa
Benguela Cove 2017 Life Drawing Exhibition, Hermanus, South Africa
“Homecoming : The Art Of Christopher Reid”, George, South Africa
WCAS Easter Exhibition, Betty’s Bay, South Africa
Touched By Passion, Johannesburg, South Africa
Art Portfolio Exhibition Of Contemporary Art, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
SASA Merit Exhibition, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
CAS Members’ Summer Exhibition, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
2016
SASA 110th Annual Exhibition 2016, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
AVA Gallery 2016 Members’ Exhibition
Kalfiefees 2016 Juried Art Exhibition
The Cyber Art Show, Bucksport, ME
Hermanus Fyn Arts Tondo Competition, Hermanus, South Africa
SASA Members Exhibit, Kirstenbosch, South Africa
“Christopher Reid”, Gallery On The Square, Clarens, South Africa
Rosebank Art Precinct, Johannesburg, South Africa
Northern Cape Artists Exhibition, Kimberley, South Africa
2015
Jazzcars Gallery, Wilmington, NC – “Reflection: The Art Of Christopher Reid”
Tidal Creek, Wilmington, NC
The American Art Jury “Spring/Summer Show”
Greenhill 2015 Winter Show
“NC Open Plein Air Paint Out”
Landfall Foundation “16th Annual Art Show & Sale”
Boone Community Network “Plein-Air Paint Out”
Maria V. Howard Center “58th National Juried Multimedia Art Exhibition”
Lower Cape Fear Historical Society “Historic Gardens En Plein Air”
Cary Arts Center – “Plein Air Art Auction and Gala”
American Juried Art Salon “22nd International Exhibition”
Wrightsville Beach Museum
Colors Of Humanity Art Gallery “Open 2015 Show”
Canape – “Figuration” Exhibit
Sampson Arts Council “2015 Juried Show”
Fuquay-Varina “2015 Juried Plein Air Paint Out”
City Of Southport “Plein Air Paint-Out”
Carolina’s Got Art “May Competition”
Carolina’s Got Art “June Salon”
Wilmington Art Association “33rd Annual Juried Spring Show”
The Artist Table “The Figure – International Competition”
Contemporary Art Gallery Online “All Paintings International Competition”
Linus Galleries “Portraiture”
ArtBar Raleigh “Freeze & Thaw”
Linus Galleries “The Blue Show”
Fine Arts League Of Cary “20th Annual Juried Exhibition”
The Artist Table “Be Still – International Still Life Competition”
American Juried Art Salon “21st International Exhibition”
Kinston Community Council For The Arts “Juried Plein Air Paint Out”
Colors Of Humanity Art Gallery “Open 2015 Show”
Arts Council of Wayne County “3rd Annual National Juried Fine Arts Exhibition”
2014
Linus Galleries “The Seasons”
New York Art Collection “Still Life Painting 2014-2015 International Online Juried Art Competition”
Occasional Art Gallery “Art of Christopher Reid, Ben Sartorius, & Barb Scalia”
Wrightsville Beach Museum
Wilmington Art Association “Art In The Arboretum”
Arts Council Of Wilmington “275th Anniversary Plein Air”
­Cameron Art Museum “State Of The Art/ Art Of The State”

Education

1999-2001 Savannah College of Art & Design (BFA)
1997-1999 UNC-Wilmington (Studio Art w/ Minors in Art History, English, French)
1996-1997 Cape Fear Community College (studied Photography, Studio Art)
1993-1994 UNC-Greensboro (studied Computer Science, Studio Art)
1992-1993 New Hanover High School (high school diploma)
1991-1992 Darlington School
*earned Dean’s List every semester at SCAD, UNCW, & CFCC
**additional courses and degrees: Graphic Design (Associate Degree), Business Administration (Associate Degree), Anatomy (UNC), Marketing, Art History, CIS, Emergency Management, Spanish
***extracurricular experience: Seahawk Newspaper, varsity sports (lacrosse, soccer, tennis, volleyball, swimming); chess club, art club, French club, intramural racquetball

Organizations

Watercolor Art Southern Africa (WASA) (President)International Watercolor Society South Africa
FabrianoInAquarello Regional Leader for Southern Africa
International Watercolor Society South Africa(IWSSA) (Country Head & IWS Globe Board)
Visual Arts Network South Africa (VANSA)
South African Portrait Society (SAPS)
Country Sketchers
South African Plein Air Painters (SAPAP) (President)
Urban Sketchers

Gallery Representation

The Cape Gallery, 60 Church Street, Cape Town, South Africa
Harbour Road Art Gallery, 18 Harbour Road, Kleinmond, South Africa
Art Curator Gallery, Lourensford Estate, Somerset West, South Africa
Ndiza Gallery, Krystal Beach, Gordon’s Bay, South Africa
Nautical Shops Gallery, Rocky Point, North Carolina, USA

Publications

“Old Harbour Morning” (Cover image) Plein Air Magazine, February/March 2023 edition

“Far & Wide: Six top artists share the state of plein air painting around the globe.”, Kelly Kane, Plein Air Magazine, February 2023

“Pastel Painting : The comprehensive guide to soft pastels”, Christopher Reid, July 2022

“Light through colour with Christopher Reid” The Art of Watercolour magazine, Issue 45, 2022

“Portrait animalier en lumiere par Christopher Reid” l’Art de l’Aquarelle numero, Issue 52, Naintré, France 2022

International Watercolor Magazine, Issue 14, May 2022 (on cover and feature article)

“Christopher Reid” video interview, Your Story Global, Episode 24, May 2022

“Inspiring SA Artist Christopher Reid” Pitchit Magazine, Jan 2022

“Christopher Reid – I Am Passionate About Art, Enjoy the Act of Creation, and Hope to Help People” Eat My News, January 2022

Williams, Athol “Fragile : our world in reflection through poetry and art”, Theart Press 2020

“Painting Reflections” (Front Cover), South African Artist Magazine, Issue 45, August-September 2019

Peter de Kuster; “The Hero’s Journey of Christopher Reid”, The Hero’s Journey, July 2019

“Colour”, Murze Magazine Issue 6, June 2019

Hodnett, Linda: “Every Picture Tells A Story”, South African Artist Magazine, Issue 25, March-April 2017

Morrell, Jack: “Artist Interview: Award-winning Painter Christopher Reid on Growing, Diversifying and Building a Career as an Artist”; Art Exposure; Isle of Wight, UK, Juiy 2017

Butler, Josephine: “Reflected Meditations: Christopher Reid Evokes Life In Wilmington In Latest Exhibtion.”, Encore Magazine, May 5th 2015

Ditmer, Cole:“Inaugural Plein Air Event A Success.” Lumina News, October 14 2014 (front page)

Ryder, Josh: “Christopher Reid”, LandEscape Art Review 15th Anniversary Issue, June 2015, p.20-40

Ryk, Mila:“Christopher Reid”, Art & Beyond Magazine. May/June 2016. p.21

Steyn, Dewaal:“Picture Perfect”, The Village News. June 28 2016. (front cover)

“Take Two Pictures: With Artist Christopher Reid” Arte Galleria, August 5 2016

Green Prints Magazine Issue Nos. 108-130 (illustrations)

André Mentz, Ecological Cattle Farming. Pula Books, South Africa 2016 (editor & illustrations)