Christopher Heald: From a northern light to the luminescent colours of the Côte d’Azur
Christopher Heald, who has found his spiritual home on the French Riviera
Edinburgh-based British painter Christopher Heald found his spiritual home on the Riviera. When he talks about his art, it’s in terms of a journey – the term comes up again and again – and a constant quest for perfection. We decided to tag along for the ride!
Starting out
“I studied fine art for six years. I learnt lots, however I believe you need to start your own journey and get to work,” he says. Something of a “just do it” mentality if you will. “Painting is very much a journey, it took me many years to even feel like I had begun that journey. I think you learn ways to do what you want to do, and that then opens up other doors,” says the Berkshire-born artist, adding: “My work evolved over the years, but the common theme was always the natural world. I would say, my love of nature is first and foremost why I paint.”
First time in the Riviera
Christopher recalls: “I first discovered the Riviera as a painter in 2016, when I spent a month in Menton. My wife Emma and I had just decided to leave where we lived and worked in London, to start a new chapter nearer family in the UK.
I think that month on the Riviera gave me time to work and think about what I wanted to do. I had already begun my painting journey, but it was discovering the Riviera each day that cleared my head and I began to see how I wanted to work.
Every day, I would take my paints around the Cap Martin coastal path and paint at different times of day. I met such lovely people during that month who were so supportive, which has only added to my love of the Riviera.”
Light creates colour
“When it comes to depicting the colours of nature, it’s the light that creates them,” says Chris. “So you need to achieve the reality of the light to make sense of the colour. And the light in the South of France was just so different to what I was used to.” We can only imagine the contrast with the grey granite of his hometown Edinburgh, especially in winter!
“I am inspired by the rich colours, which are not something you see in Scotland! And I have colours in my paint box that I only use on the Riviera.”
A spiritual home in the South of France
You can sense the deep connection Chris has for the view across the bay from Roquebrune towards Monaco through his animated descriptions of the headland, of the changes in colour through the day, and the fact that it’s “just far enough” for a fabulous violet colour without the detail being lost in the haze. But for these atmospheric moments, he needs to work quickly, because the colours change.
He is drawn by that challenge, of which there is plenty between Nice and the Italian border. “There’s no end point in sight,” he says, in reference to the series he has done on the Côte d’Azur. He likens it to a drug. “The urge to paint has only got stronger, it is not only my life but it is who I am,” he adds.
“The view across Cap Martin towards Monaco is very special to me, I have painted the view many times from the coastal path.”
“I’ve never been able to explain why it is so special, so I now describe it as a spiritual home. From a painter’s point of view, it is an area full of wonder and such a challenge to paint. The crystal clear light when the Mistral has blown creates sharp shadows that give a beautiful strong edge to each form. The colours created by that clear light, are beautifully harmonised by the hazy reflections of turquoise and cobalt blue. I have colours in my paint box that I only ever need when I’m painting on this stretch of coast,” he writes on his website.
What is his process?
“I try and paint even a little everyday, the progression and working hard is so important to me. It’s like a bar you’ll never reach, because the bar keeps moving the more you paint.
I paint with a little palette knife and around twelve or so colours that I’ve got to know really well,” he explains.
While some people paint to relax, he finds it hard work and a tough challenge.
Also unlike some, Chris paints outdoors as much as possible. This explains in part why he doesn’t do “big trendy pieces” but small ones, since they are easier to carry. But this also adds another level to the challenge, to capture so much detail on a small canvas.
A dream?
“For the last ten years, I’ve mostly sold my work directly. I’ve never really approached any galleries or entered exhibitions. It would be wonderful to have the support of a gallery or have a venue to show the whole Côte d’Azur series one day. It would be a dream to even show just a couple in Monaco. The paintings would be back home! I do paint with showing them in groups in mind, as they all help each other and add to the overall impact I want the viewer to have. I want the viewer to feel the beauty of the colours and be transported there,” he tells us.
His aim, and what he would love to think people find in his paintings, is to show beauty that people haven’t perhaps seen around them.
“Painting the beauty of nature in landscapes is sometimes seen as not contemporary or cool enough, but it’s an impossible task and that’s why I love it, because if you aim for the impossible you may just achieve something higher than expected,” he concludes.
Christopher Heald’s website includes many of his pieces: https://christopher-heald.com
His most up-do-date works can be found on his Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/christopher_heald/
All images courtesy of Christopher Heald