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When a child
has a father and grandfather who are both well-known illustrators, it is
likely the offspring will also become an artist. When a boy starts to
sail at the age of six, it is also likely that the artist might choose
the sea and sailing ships as his subject. Such was the case for
Christopher Blossom, who, by the time he left the Parsons School of
Design and Robert Bourke’s Design Studio, could visualize a finished
boat from only its plans—and draw the craft from any angle. Before
Blossom was twenty, he had sailed under square rig aboard the brigantine
Young America.
Known for his
complex, detailed compositions of ships at sea, Blossom combines his
appreciation for the beauty and the menace of the sea with his love of
maritime history and ship construction. Before Blossom paints a vessel,
he is likely to study the ship’s blueprint to learn about its’ hull
design, length, tonnage and deck layout. Blossom’s historically accurate
ships and harbors are combined with color, light and composition to
capture the mood of a voyage and convey the essence of the seafaring
experience. At the age of twenty, he won a Gold Medal at the Society of
Illustrators Scholarship Exhibition. His dual vocation of experiencing
the sea and then painting both nautical history and some of the greatest
modern places to sail was truly launched. Blossom became both a charter
member and an artist of the American Society of Marine Artists, serving
as its president from 1983 to 1986. His awards include a Gold Medal from
the National Academy of Western Art for his painting of ships in
Monterey. Saluted as an undisputed master, Blossom has exhibited his art
at the Gilcrease Museum, the Colorado Museum of History, the prestigious
Prix de West Invitational and the Artists of America show. Blossom
continues to achieve artistic honors including the Robert Lougheed
Memorial Award at the 2001 Prix de West.
Nearly the only
time he isn’t painting is when he is sailing, visiting ports of call in
Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, the Bahamas, California and
Washington state. Blossom spent a year sailing around the Caribbean with
his wife and two sons. "It’s not a hobby, it’s a way of life. When I
look at the ocean, I get the same feeling pilots must get when they look
to the sky."
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