Chris Chrysler

Palimpsest

This piece reflects on the themes of home, place, and identity through found materials, each carrying its own history and transformation. The central element is a large, charred piece of wood with a carved groove, holding three bird nests in a row. The outer nests rest on rusted metal, while the center nest sits atop newspaper fragments from 1941. The nests, made by small songbirds, include materials I provided—alpaca fleece and thread—symbolizing comfort and security. The central nest, in contrast, is disheveled, embodying fragility and decay.

The charred wood represents both destruction and resilience, as the Shou Sugi Ban method strengthens and preserves the wood. Rusted metal speaks to the passage of time, and the fencing wires suggest boundaries and protection, questioning what we choose to guard and what we let in.
This piece functions as a palimpsest, layering materials and histories.
The 1941 newspaper found in the walls of my home, with the headline “French Literature difficult to get since Nazi entry,” connects past destruction to present-day struggles. It serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of civilization: the rise, fall, and regeneration of both society and the individual. The newspaper, literally embedded in the walls of my home, emphasizes the importance of discerning what we allow into our lives and what we defend in times of change.

Through this work, I explore how home is defined and protected, and how histories—personal and collective—shape our identities over time. The materials in the piece are both personal and universal, symbolizing resilience, loss, and the ongoing quest for place.

Weight of Place

"This abstract oil painting explores the duality of finding home—capturing the raw, dynamic energy of nature alongside the calm, peaceful stillness that arises when one feels truly rooted. The vigorous movement and vibrant color palette reflect the vitality and constant flux of the world around us, while the underlying sense of serenity mirrors the tranquility that comes with discovering one's place in the world.

Through sweeping brushstrokes and bold color contrasts, I sought to evoke the tension between these two forces—both the chaotic pulse of nature and the quieting embrace of belonging. The fluidity of movement in the composition symbolizes the journey and the process of settling into oneself, while the quiet, harmonious moments within the painting invite the viewer to pause and reflect.

In this work, I aim to create a visual space where both the energy of the world and the peace found in our own grounding can coexist, offering a glimpse into the subtle but powerful equilibrium of inner peace amidst external change."

Threadbare Defences

Threadbare Defences challenges viewers to question the effectiveness of protective emotional and psychological barriers over time. The materials used speak to the barriers that we build around ourselves - protective yet isolating.

Over time, these boundaries, much like the rusted wire, can become counterproductive, simultaneously shielding us from and separating us from the world. This piece invites viewers to reflect on the barriers they construct around their lives and question whether these defences remain necessary or have become limiting. Further, how have these barriers impacted one's identity and perception of place in the world?

Walk the Line

"The underlayer of this piece is made from pages of a textbook on how to be a good wife- the cornerstone for defining one's success as a woman."

Refuge

My quest for "home" has been rooted in the belief that home should be a soft place to fall when the weight and the chaos of the world becomes too much. An anchor in stormy seas.

"We all need such a place- to escape, to heal, to find our peace. A refuge."

Meet Me by the Water

"Meet Me by the Water captures the delicate balance between tranquility and anticipation, evoking the complex emotional landscape of finding home and place. The piece is defined by a calm blue and green palette, with vibrant pops of yellow and pink, creating a visual harmony that speaks to both stillness and subtle movement. The colors are intentionally chosen to evoke a heightened sensitivity—each hue more vivid, each day more meaningful, as one steps into the comfort of belonging.

The painting explores how the human experience is a continuous process of renewal, where every moment feels fresh, yet familiar. The energy in the work is both gentle and anticipatory, embodying the ebb and flow of emotions that arise when one feels grounded in their environment. There is an essence of movement—soft and fluid, yet full of quiet intensity—suggesting the constant state of flux between stillness and the vibrancy of connection.

In this piece, I seek to explore the dynamic tension between the serene and the energized, reflecting how the act of finding home is not static, but an evolving journey—one that is at once calm, energetic, and imbued with the vibrancy of life."

Phoenix Rising

"The three wire bands surrounding the sculpture represent myself and my children, our quest for ‘home’, and my desire to protect them. A story of resilience, I charred the carved wood in a manner similar to the Japanese building technique, shou sugi ban where wood for homes is charred to help preserve and protect the wood. The many pieces of the wood are ‘stitched’ back together with rusted fence wire, and screen from an old wooden door cradles a bird’s nest that has had gold thread sewn throughout representing the goodness, the light, that is always at the centre of home.

All the materials for this project were salvaged from our new (safe) home.

This piece has so much more to it, but I’ll leave that for you to interpret, or perhaps, relate to, yourself."

Think Positive

"Think Positive" explores the pervasiveness of toxic positivity within traditional female gender roles. Filter the world through rose coloured glasses. Be gentle. Be quiet. Be polite.

Fragile Resistance

The piece speaks to cycles of upheaval and adaptation, to the ways individuals and communities—past and present—seek refuge in spaces never meant to be home. The nest, precariously balanced on exposed wiring, embodies this fragile persistence. The box itself suggests both containment and concealment, recalling histories of forced migration and persecution, the necessity of hiding to survive. Yet beyond the historical and political, this work also reflects internal wars—private struggles we carry within, unseen but deeply felt. The need to build a place of safety, even in unstable conditions, is as much an emotional imperative as a physical one.
This work extends my ongoing inquiry into the relationship between place, memory, and identity. How do histories of displacement, both external and internal, shape our understanding of home? What happens when security is tenuous, when we must redefine belonging amid instability? The box, neither fully closed nor entirely open, becomes a metaphor for these tensions—a space between exposure and protection, survival and erasure, vulnerability and resilience.

Chris' work explores the intricate interplay between home, identity, and place, examining how our sense of belonging is shaped by the spaces we inhabit. As a mixed media artist, she primarily works with found objects, using their histories to inform and enrich her own narratives. Chris investigates the influence of media on generational female experiences, highlighting the intersections of feminism and societal expectations. These themes are framed by a universal quest for a sense of place—a pursuit that is often influenced by our perception and definition of "home."

"In my work, home is not merely a physical space but a conceptual idea, shaped by personal histories, societal constructs, and emotional resonance. The essence of emotion is captured in the moments when place is found, whether through belonging, displacement, or transformation. My art aims to evoke both a sense of loss and discovery, offering a reflection on the evolving nature of self and space. Through these explorations, I seek to question how identity is formed, reformed, and finally, rooted."