Christopher Sandlin

Christopher
Thomas Sandlin is 44 years old, has three children and a supportive wife. He
was born in Florida and grew up in Palm Beach County. When he was 23, he joined
the Army and moved away during his time in service. After four years, he
returned home to Palm Beach County in the hopes of starting a family and a
career in Art.

From a young age Christopher’s
interest in the arts was sparked by his parents. Both had a talent for drawing
and painting. Being an only child encouraged him to find his creative side
early on. Christopher attended The Dreyfoos School of the Performing Arts here
in Palm Beach County and was among the first graduating class in 1994. During
his time there he studied Sculpture, Painting, Drawing, Printmaking, and
Photography. There was a love for all of them but his attention to detail was
most apparent in his drawings. The focus on detail was always there. The one
discipline he was most fascinated with was photography – so much so, that he
had a darkroom set up in his bathroom while in high school. It was not until
later in life that he discovered other mediums like woodworking and resin.

In January of
2000, Christopher Sandlin left home to go to Ft Sill, Oklahoma to start his 4-year
endeavor in the military. In his first year, he was deployed to Bosnia. Here he
found time to work on his drawings and his art. His most favored pencil drawings
came from that time and place.

After an early
return from that deployment, Christopher was working alone in the motorpool on
his Bradley Fighting Vehicle when 9/11 happened. Who could have known how
drastically our lives were going to change? Fast-forward to 2003, sitting in
the desert of Kuwait, Sgt. Christopher Sandlin was the Fire Support Team leader
for A Troop 3/7 Cav. This ultimately led to Operation Iraqi Freedom, where 3rd
Infantry Division moved from Kuwait to Baghdad with 3/7 Cav in the lead
position all the way through the desert to the objective. After many fire
fights and battles, the mission was complete; his men were alive, and all the
men and women of 3rd squadron 7th cavalry returned home safely. All of these
experiences were enough to make clear in Christopher’s mind that what he really
wanted was to come home and create, to have order – not chaos.

Right out of the
military, Christopher got a great opportunity to work with a reputable company
painting murals, fabricating ornate architectural embellishments, and work in extraordinary
homes. While working with K Salowe & Associates, he soaked in all that the
experience could offer, and still treasures the skills he obtained while
working as a journeyman. At the excitement of the news of his first child, the
need and hunger for more work and stability gave way for the opportunity to
start his own business. Ever since, Christopher has owned his own company
building custom furniture, refinishing cabinets, painting murals, and much
more.

As Christopher grew
both as a person and an artist, it did not come without struggles. He battled
substance abuse for several years. Enduring hard times with his business, while
simultaneously facing some of his own demons dating back to his military
service and time at war. It was a long, hard road that ended one early Mother’s
Day morning in 2017 as he asked his wife to bring him to the VA to voluntarily
enter a detox program. He called his mother there and asked if she could bring
him some paints and art supplies. With a clear head and a new perspective,
Christopher began to paint again. He also began to imagine and create as he
once did years before. To this day, Christopher Sandlin is still sober by the
grace of God, the support of his loving family, and the ability to express
himself through his art. His struggles from structure into chaos, and back once
more to a structured life, has influenced his current works and the meaning of
what art is to him at this point in his life.

Christopher has
never shied away from the opportunity to work with new mediums and techniques.
He always embraces the chance to try new and exciting things with his sculptures
and artwork. The presence of structure and the influence of architecture is
obvious as soon as you see his work. At the same time, the beautiful chaos that
emerges from the resin infused into his artwork creates a perfect balance to
the beauty of the wood. Christopher has learned to find the details and
character of the wood that speaks to him. This leads him to use each piece as
it calls to be used, similar to how a stone sculptor sees what is in the form
before he even touches the stone. As Christopher tries to define what art is to
him, he says that Art is not what he does, but who he is.