Artist Bio
Christopher Ganz grew up in the wilds of Northeast Ohio. His youth was a steady diet of catching critters in the woods and creeks (really just pastoral sewers), pickup football games, and various dangerous activities typical to the male youth. (BB gun and bottle rocket battles et al). The boys back then had a fine cut of the jib and were ready for all comers. Christopher's fertile imagination provoked a strong interest in art during his tween years. Transfix'd by the colorful action he found in the comic books, Christopher endeavored to draw costumed characters. School was ideally suited for this activity. Indeed, what could be better than to spend hours each day filling blue-lined pages with scenes of unbridled mayhem? Not much (Christopher would now like to thank the teachers who turned a blind eye to what the pedagogues considered a wastrel's pursuit). Christopher's artistic education began in earnest when he enrolled at the University of Missouri. His love of the human figure led to rigorous anatomical and live model classes. The work of the Old Masters inspired Christopher to no end. Printmaking was a revelation in black. Its textures and values opened pictorial possibilities that fascinate him to this day. After graduation, Christopher emulated the saints of old and sought revelation through poverty and isolation in the hinterlands. Mysteries were revealed. Christopher's artistic temper was then galvanized in the cauldron of graduate school at Indiana University. A summer abroad program in Italy was a dream realized. Like benign radiation, Christopher absorbed the terribilita emanating from the works of his artistic heroes. Daemons were stirred and charcoal grasped with a new vigor. Large and sfumato laden drawings ensued. This is what drives him to this day. Christopher's artistic influences are many; from a seminal exposure to Dore's engravings of the Divine Comedy, to Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Goya, and up to Lucian Freud, Mark Tansey, and Michael Mazur. Goethe, Melville, Dostoevsky, and contemporary writers such as Rushdie, Eco, and Pynchon are influences all. Christopher now resides and teaches in Fort Wayne, Indiana at IPFW (Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne). An associate professor of printmaking and drawing, Christopher practices what he preaches. Christopher shows his drawings at Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, and prints across the nation at museums and university galleries. Christopher has profound gratitude towards his wife and fellow artist Sayaka (who is linked to this site). Also deep thanks go to his family and friends who have helped him in the pursuit of being alive and an artist.
