Short Biography

Chris Duke is an accomplished, award-winning fine artist. Her oil paintings adorn corporate headquarters as well as homes across the country. She specializes in oil portraiture of individuals, children, families and pets, particularly dogs. Chris feels that serious portraits are emblematic; they portray the subject to the viewer over an extended time, well beyond the day of the sitting. A finely wrought portrait immortalizes a moment and captures its importance.

Chris is also well known for her classical pen and ink style, in which she embellishes her art with geometric and textual elements that evoke the feel of a Leonardo da Vinci notebook. In this style, Chris depicts a range of subjects, including people, animals, flowers and architecture.

Recently, Chris was selected as the official artist of the 2015 and 2016 National Dog Show in Philadelphia. A highlight of her year is her time spent at the annual Philadelphia show, talking with dog people. She immensely enjoys illustrating posters and other works for them. Every year, Chris endeavors to capture the character of that particular show.

In years previous, Chris had illustrated three official posters for the Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New Your City. It has been a joy, these years, to paint so many dogs! She also accepts private canine commissions.

In addition, Chris is the official portrait artist for THE PLAYERS Championship. She has completed more than thirty portraits of winning golfers, all of which are on display at the Sawgrass clubhouse gallery in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Chris relates to the challenge of solo performance, man versus himself on any given scorecard. Playing professional golf, like doing art, is cutting edge.

As one of America’s leading illustrators, Chris has worked for Fortune 500 companies such as American Express, AT&T, IBM, and Adidas, as well as for publications including the New York Times, People Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. In the nineties, she illustrated animated television ads for Johnson and Johnson. Her work is displayed in many institutions, including the George Washington Museum at Mount Vernon.

Chris attended the Parsons School of Design and holds a Master of Arts in Figurative Studies from the New York Academy of Art.

In the last years, Chris has enjoyed focusing on oil portraiture. After the exactitudes of pen and ink, she loves the flexibility of this medium. Chris also devotes time to sheer play and experimentation and always has new works brewing. These pieces inform all the jobs she does and keep her process energizing, from design to execution.

Chris lives in New Hartford, CT with her husband John and Best-Dog Lucy, a Boston Terrier.

For more detailed information, please see Chris' illustrated biography.

Chris Duke