Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Walker.
Hi Chris, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in the Savannah area, surrounded by the beauty of the low country and all of its charm. Out of high school, I didn’t appreciate it fully… Started my art career at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL. It was there shortly after graduating with my BFA in illustration, that I started hand-painting furniture for a company. After a year, I moved to North Georgia, working for one of the premier hand-painted furniture lines known as Habersham. I honed my skills worked my way through the ranks of the company where I became the Master Artist, hand painting and designing Habersham’s furniture line that went to Highpoint, NC. I desperately missed my coastal hometown. In 2003, home builder Tony Reardon gave me an opportunity that changed the course of my life… I did a mural and faux finishes in a home at the Ford Field and River Club. That was the beginning of C.N. Walker Designs.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There’s been some bumps… The recession of 2007 was the largest hurdle. I stuck with it… this is what I was meant to do in life. Most of my competition left the Savannah area. Work was sparse, but I did a variety of different art mediums and was thankfully working with clientele that were not affected much by the recession. I did not move back to the Savannah area until 2018… For 15 years, I traveled from North Georgia to the coast. All of my work was in the Savannah area… Bluffton was growing, as well as Richmond Hill. That refusal to not give up and do whatever it takes, regardless of the distance, helped grow my clientele and reputation as an artist.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I do a large variety of work… I am a full-time artist. I suffer from ADHD; a cubicle job was not meant for me! I do murals, custom paintings, faux finishes, and sculpture. My murals can be seen publicly throughout Richmond Hill and have become a fabric of the landscape… 8 total. I also have murals, faux finishes, and sculptures in private residences, many of which are in Palmetto Bluff, Ford Field and River Club, Hilton Head, and Sea Island.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Being an artist is very fulfilling but can be stressful. If it’s a full-time job, you have to pay the bills and provide. I tell other beginning artists make yourself marketable… produce something that people want (and makes you happy).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cnwalkerdesigns.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chrisnathanwalker?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/cnwdesigns
