With an oil company executive and an author as parents, artist Chris Panatier grew up to become a successful trial lawyer. From an early age, his mother and father recognized and supported his artistic inclinations at every opportunity. The diversity of his background has led to a wide range of artistic production over the years.
Panatier is primarily a self-educated artist who has worked in many media. He has done pencil and ink illustration, become an accomplished caricaturist, created hardwood furniture by hand, and for six years served as the editorial cartoonist for The Daily Texan newspaper publication at the University of Texas at Austin.
He searched for his artistic voice over many years and feels he has finally found his true artistic vision. As part of the Reflectionist movement, he uses three-dimensional oil paint applied over thin luminous layers of color, to create organic, moving shapes that mirror our inner world. Each painting is finished with a deep reflective glaze and represents an idea and explores the echoes of experiences imprinted in his memory.
