When Christopher Law received an invitation to paint an Arts Alive banner for the 2014 season, he had no idea what he was getting into. The daunting blank sheet of vinyl measuring 7 feet in height was the largest artistic challenge he had ever taken on.
As director of the nonprofit San Diego Beach Volleyball Club, Law had worked with youth to approach sports holistically through nutrition, physical training, yoga and meditation. Until relatively recently, however, painting and drawing were things he had done in his spare time with the “other side of his brain.”
The challenge of painting an Arts Alive banner inspired him. According to Law, his 2014 painting titled “Little Angel” represented the small daughter of close friends as “faith in the eyes of the beholder”. The work of this first-time banner artist was so enchanting that it brought the highest bid of the entire collection of 101 artworks in the auction last June.
Law explains that his new painting for the 2015 season titled “Angel of Hope” depicts the same small girl praying to her “mother earth child”. It will be displayed on the light standard at the corner of Coast Highway 101 and K Street (in front of the SRF bookstore) through the end of May. It will be one of 99 banners to be auctioned June 7 in the Cardiff Town Center courtyard.
Law will continue to create a three-part series titled “Faith, Hope, and Love” featuring the same small girl as the subject of each painting.
Growing up in La Jolla, Carmel Valley and Solana Beach, Chris Law has been in and around the ocean since before he could swim. He had a natural love for surfing and beach volleyball, but also showed an early talent in art.
He says of moving to Encinitas in early 2014, “The vibrational frequency of this beautiful place called me here. Encinitas might be the reason my art has begun to flourish.”
Having enjoyed drawing in charcoal for many years, Law says, “The evolvement of my art throughout the course of the years has been more by circumstance than my own choosing.” He continues, “My breakthrough in color came after reading the Anastasia series. The words literally inspired me to use the full rainbow of colors.”
At age 31, Chris Law’s professional background is in Kinesiology with a science degree from Cal State San Marcos. His love of sports science and mechanics of the body led him to work as a personal trainer for five years prior to becoming a professional volleyball coach.
Director of the San Diego Beach Volleyball Club, Law says, “Through sports we are able to teach aspects of life often untouched by traditional schooling systems. We started with about 24 kids and have grown to over a hundred.”
In a recent interview he described the club’s less structured weekend activities, “Just today our girls hiked Torrey Pines Preserve and then participated in ‘Spreading Smiles,’ a day of handing out flowers in Encinitas. We also visited SRF gardens and Yogananda’s house. Pretty amazing day!”
Whether it’s through physical training, spiritual growth, or creating images that touch the hearts of viewers, Chris Law gives others hope for the future. He says, “I’m inspired to inspire. When I am moved to allow art to flow through me, I paint.”
