Christopher Cantwell

  CHRISTOPHER W. CANTWELL                                    ABOUT THE ARTIST Christopher Cantwell works with well over 200 varieties of wood, with a preference for the exotic and unusual. "No one believes me when I tell them I buy my wood from Home Depot, so I have to confess to a network of specialty wood suppliers all over the United States." Each piece is one-of-a-kind, with elements that are designed to fit the character of each specific piece of wood. "I work with the wood and my own ideas when I make my designs. Often, the challenge of using a grain pattern in the best way, or a working with a particular piece of wood, will fuel my inspiration.”   Christopher's work is featured in private and public collections, including the ornament collection of The White House in Washington, D.C., Yale University Museum of Art, Long Beach Museum of Art Other collectors include Whitney Museum Director Beth Rudin-DeWoody, and legendary wood art collector ,the late Dr. Irving Lipton.   Over 100 galleries and museums across the nation have exhibited Christopher’s pieces. These include Weisspollack Gallery, NY; Laguna Art Museum; Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum; Museum of Art and Design, NY; Long Beach museum of Art; Oxo Tower, London; Collins Gallery, Glasgow, and a retrospective show “Three decades of Three Forms” at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. Photographs and articles about Christopher's work have been published in numerous publications, including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, American Craft, Woodwork, The California Art Review, Art in America, and many books and exhibition catalogs. His other interests include tropical conservation, surfing, rock climbing and church activities.    

I am currently a foster parent along with my lovely wife Kay, I also volunteer instruct snowboarding and skiing for the local schools. I am active in the local Christian community attending Sierra pines and new Community Methodist churches and various Bibles studies, I am a Progressive Democrat volunteering for sate and national candidates including Jerry Brown and of course Obama. I love to surf and rock climb when I get the chance, trade some stocks when I have the funds, study Economics, Politics and Religion