We're excited to announce a new Club of the Waves! View the new site

Chris Bolden

Surf Artist

See all features in California
Chris Bolden

California

Chris Bolden has been painting since 1990. Graduating from Pasadena Art Center College of Design in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Illustration, he immediately began working and is currently an artist on the long-running, animated television series The Simpsons. A three-time Emmy Award winner, he first worked on the show as a background illustrator and designer, and more currently as a color-key artist.

The inspiration behind the Noseriders series came from Chris's 20+ years as a surfer in Southern California. While primarily a short-boarder, Chris was attracted to the timeless grace and style of long-boarders, specifically, the stylish, asymmetrical balance that the surfers' body contorts to maintain perfect balance. Be-it a classic nose-ride, hang'n heels, getting tubed or drop'n a knee, it is that grace and style that Chris so wonderfully translates in his paintings.

I've always respected long-boarders, especially the real stylish guys who take it from a sport or recreational hobby and turn it into an art form. There is just something so cool and stylish about a surfer that really knows how to ride. That 'vibe' is what I want to express in my paintings. So whether it be an art collector or a seasoned surfer, they'll catch that vibe and make that connection.

Sources of artistic inspiration for Chris come from painters such as: N.C.Wyeth, Winslow Homer, and John Singer Sargent.

Menu