Portraits of Narcissism, Artist Notes:

After 6 years of creating large format, abstract figurative action paintings in Washington, D.C., I was able to cull together my first portfolio, a series of angry abstract self-portraits I laughingly referred to as the “Portraits of Narcissism.”

I moved to San Francisco at the advent of Y2K to develop my work within the city’s *emerging art community, and these paintings served as the work for my first solo in San Francisco @ Moulton Studios in February of 2001.

My experience of working with the team at Moulton was highly endemic of living in San Francisco during the height of the New Economy. I answered an advert for a Portfolio review in the Artists Community section of Craigslist. Not realizing the weight of the project, I stood in line with several local “New Mission School” artists while a curator pulled work together from several portfolios making determinations on how the stylistically disparate work would align visually.

With 5 separate galleries, each chosen artist received an individual room for their visual presentation, and a few weeks later, I debuted in San Francisco with the entire body of work from Portraits of Narcissism, at an opening that boasted both a champagne bar and a string quartet.

It was also shortly after this exhibition that I partnered with Editor, Sheilah Navat Boothsby as a founding member of San Francisco Art Magazine, an online magazine presenting new and emerging Bay Area artists and documentary evidence of San Francisco's evolving art scene.

In stark paradox to practicing art in Washington, D.C., this was the first time I felt included and appreciated as a living and working visual artist.

Themes Explored: Sexual and emotional emancipation, self-loathing and self-destructive behavior, relationship triangles internal and external struggles

To see more work from Portraits of Narcissism or to read the artist statement, please e-mail me at cs@christopherstout.com.

1. Orange Portrait, 1998. 45"x28": oil and acrylic on canvas.
2. Shame I Love Thee, 1997. 66"x54": oil and acrylic on canvas.
3. Love I Shame Thee, 1997. 66"x54": oil and acrylic on canvas.
4. Blue Portrait, 1998. 42"x32": oil and acrylic on canvas.

Themes Explored: Sexual and emotional emancipation, self-loathing and self-destructive behavior, relationship triangles internal and external struggles.