
Chris Gocong
Chris Gocong is a visual artist with a passion for capturing emotion through portraiture, figurative art and abstraction. The main body of his work is inspired by the commonality of human emotion and consciousness. His pursuit in portraiture is less about copying features to reproduce a likeness, but rather trying to capture the multiple emotional layers of the subject.
Although portraiture is his main interest, Chris doesn’t limit himself to one mode—his artistic expression ranges from cosmic abstractionism, exploratory textural pieces, to visually striking pop art and everything in between. At exhibits, viewers often comment that the collection looks as though it was painted by multiple artists rather than one. Looking deeper though, the common theme throughout can be teased out: the human condition.
Chris prefers to paint with acrylic on canvas, as he tends to paint quickly utilizing layers to achieve the desired visual.
Chris was drafted to the NFL from Cal Poly SLO where he studied biomedical engineering. He played 7 years as a linebacker for the NFL (Philadelphia Eagles ’06-’10;Cleveland Browns ’10-‘12). He came to find art as a creative outlet and meditative practice after retiring from football. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and two daughters.