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From Endor to Chelsea

Christopher Evans headed up the matte painting department at Lucasfilm during Return of the Jedi. He later rendered dozens of computer-generated illusions for Matte World Digital. But it was always his dream to have a one-man show of his oil paintings at a top gallery in New York City. Yesterday Jeanette and I arrived from the pouring rain for the unveiling of “Open Space,” an exhibition of a dozen large landscape panoramas at the Fischbach Gallery in Chelsea. Mr. Evans’s mastery of light, air, and atmosphere were in full display here, with fleecy cumulus cloud forms and rolling California hillsides stepping back into luminous distances. Mr. Evans, it may be revealed, is a founding member of the Slaves to Nature, seen here painting Fawn’s Leap along Kaaterskill Creek. I was working behind him in what appears here to be a tranquil section of the stream, little suspecting that disaster was about to strike. But that’s another story for another post.
Posted by James Gurney at Friday, October 12, 2007 Labels: Movie Studios, Plein Air Painting John-Paul Balmet said...

This blog is so inspirational! I can't wait to see the new book.

October 12, 2007 at 5:17 PM 
lol i love the shirts.

October 14, 2007 at 5:17 PM JFullmer said...

But what happened?!! It does look tranquil - What disaster? How "later" do we have to wait? Which post will it be in? Huh?

On a less curious note, Mr Evan's work look amazing. Is there a link where we can see more of the types of paintings in the show?

October 21, 2007 at 7:06 PM nitemarexangel said...

Hahahaha. My name is Chelsea Gurney, and I found this when I searched my name. =_=

January 14, 2008 at 10:38 PM Frank P. Ordaz said...


For the record Michael Pangrazio was the the Matte painting Supervisor during Return of the Jedi not Chris. There were 3 of us painting.

May 12, 2009 at 2:06 PM 
Thanks for clarifying, Frank. My mistake--I just remembered wrong something that I read in that book on Lucasfilm FX. Those were great mattes, by the way, and it must have been fun working together.

May 12, 2009 at 2:09 PM