Drawings, light boxes, and little characters that live on cliffs

In Shapeshifters, Christopher Martin has created a Crystalline, Sci-Fi world inhabited by curious characters. It is part Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock but in other ways more sophisticated: mathematical, geometrical, and futuristic.

His drawings mimic collages when in fact, every part of them has been hand painted. He uses his own technique of masking off particular areas to create crisp lines but delves into the interior with airbrush strokes to create dimensionality and texture. He has also sanded particular areas for a worn look that contrasts with other areas that are bubbly and videogame-like.

Christopher’s light boxes make one dream about the possibility of Atlantis or the Fortress of Solitude in psychedelic colors. They glow like gemstones and pull the viewer in through the lines of perspective. The boxes are lit from behind in both white and black light. Each light tube can be switched on and off to create different color effects.

The cliff dwelling “dudes” that live in Christopher’s magical world look as if caught in the middle of a routine day chugging drinks from gourds and lounging under colorful canopies. Viewers are treated to Christopher’s skills as a crafts person through these pieces. They are ingeniously made from found wood. One is made from pieces chewed by beavers, while another is made from a chunk of wood with three knots that form both eyes and a nose. Each “dude” wears armor made of layers of cloth scales. The canopies they sit below are made from boat sail fabric and are meticulously stitched together. They are mini tents shielding them from the rays of the sun and droplets of rain in a world unknown to us.

To Christopher, the title refers to his myriads of interests and the artist’s ability to learn and take on new skills or subject matter. To Little Cakes, there is an aesthetic link to time travel as well as to nature’s cycles; and we can’t help reminiscing about the Star Trek character Odo on Deep Space Nine.