Artist Portrait Series | Chris Burks

As curator at Linus Galleries and fine art photographer, Linnea Lenkus strongly values giving as much credit to the artists who make art shows, such as “Silent Communication”, possible. For her Artist Portrait Series, she shines the spotlight on the artist rather than their artwork through portrait photography. This way the viewer is able to get a feel of who the artist is. Her two portrait studio locations, Long Beach and Pasadena, give way to her continuous photographic practice. The purpose of the Artist Portrait Series is to one day have all portraits displayed in our Pasadena art gallery.

Chris Burks was one of the artists who was able to experience a portrait session with Lenkus. For “Silent Communication”, Burks presented his piece School Girl. This painting captures a young girl during a violent attack; weary and covered in blood, she still stands, fighting and killing all the way home.

Chris Burks began painting while attending evening classes in junior college before deciding to leave school and continue work full time in the sheet metal industry. Creativity was his highest priority and over the next decade he produced several works that include painting, sculpting, writing, and illustrating. He keeps a studio in the corner of his garage and can often be there with his dogs and a cup of coffee, painting not for sale or for show but for himself.

“In regards to my experience at the photo shoot…I introduced myself to Linnea and left my painting. I was ready to leave when my manager reminded me I was to have my picture taken. For a moment I thought I had gotten away with it! It’s not that I don’t want my picture taken, it just makes me nervous; I only recently started showing my work earlier this year. Linnea quickly made me feel comfortable by taking about my work and complimenting it, which made me feel more comfortable. Soon I felt fine and even began to relax. My experience was very pleasant and left me feeling more confident than I expected.”

-Chris Burks