Christopher Kovacs was born in Toronto, and completed an apprenticeship in fine art over eight years (during elementary and high school) with Dutch artist William Wegman in Richmond Hill, Ontario. He also completed a university course in fine art at Queen’s University at Kingston. Since settling in Newfoundland in 1997, he has largely focused on scenes of Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada, but has also continued to do paintings of wildlife and international scenes.
He has previously exhibited in conjunction with the Kingston Regional Arts Council and has been selling works done on commission for more than thirty years. To satisfy the many requests that have been made by those who wish to own some of his works, he has made limited edition prints available of selected recent works, and these are available at many art galleries in St. John’s as well as in other provinces, and online. This website has been designed to promote his work, and to encourage that prospective buyers visit the galleries that carry his work. His original paintings are exclusively carried by Red Ochre Gallery in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
He is accomplished in watercolour, acrylic, pencil, ink, pastel and oil, although his favourite medium remains watercolour. His images are recognizable for their attention to lifelike appearance, exquisite detail, and vibrant colours. Typical subjects include sea and landscapes, boats and buildings, and wildlife in its habitat. Most of his work is based on reference photographs that he has taken; a single painting may require more than one photograph in order to obtain the scope and detail that he desires to have in each painting.
In 2008, his Green Gables HouseTM painting received three national/international distinctions in association with the 100th anniversary of the publication of Anne of Green Gables. It became a stamp issued by Canada Post; a second stamp issued jointly by Japan Post and Canada Post; and it was used by the Royal Canadian Mint in conjunction with their production of a special limited edition Anne coin.
