Cham
Most of my art is motivated by instinct. The major force that drives this instinct has to do with the surfacing of subconscious relationships among a variety of subjects and formal visual elements. My work is very spontaneous. I rely on accident, mainly.
I spent some time in New Orleans around 1995-96 and happened to be there during Mardi-Gras. That experience inspired my colorful Mardi-Gras figures; the whimsical figures on wheels which I created with acrylic on paper. Several of these pieces were accepted and sold at Brookgreen Gardens Gala Affair in 1998. My abstract faces may appear to be distorted; sometimes one eye seen straight on, the other to the side, the nose off to the side and a large mouth. I am trying to represent two views at the same time. These pieces take time to view; the more you look, the more you see.
People often ask me what I see in my work. I see beauty in the colors. It doesn’t have to be a particular subject. I would hope that my art could be enjoyed without understanding what it represents, but for the joy it brings and for the way the colors somehow come together.
Cham was born in Birmingham, Alabama and now resides in Greenville, SC. He received his B.A. Degree in Art from Lander University in 1986. He continues to explore art through numerous courses in photography and painting offered through the Greenville Museum of Art and other instruction opportunities offered in the community.
Cham was voted Best Artist in Greenville by Creative Loafing Magazine. He was awarded Best in Show by the Piedmont SC Invitational Show and Auction for the prevention of child abuse, and the Greenville News National Snapshot Merit Award. He is a member of Upstate Visual Arts and MAC.