Phoenix (2015) Original Oil Painting by Chris Walker

Phoenix is a surreal, symbolic self‑renewal piece: a human–animal hybrid face dissolves into birds, fish, and organic forms, expressing transformation, rebirth, and the cyclical movement of life. Its intense warm palette suggests fire and emergence, while the embedded creatures represent the many states of being that coexist within a single identity. It captures the moment between destruction and renewal, the threshold where the phoenix rises. The work blends Surrealism (dreamlike hybrid forms), Expressionism (emotional colour intensity) and Symbolism (animals and elements as metaphors). There’s a powerful resonance between Phoenix and the moment Provence enters feux de forêt season. The painting already carries the emotional vocabulary of ignition, heat, and transformation — but when placed against the reality of June in Provence, it becomes something sharper, more grounded, and more prophetic.

Materials used:

Oil paint

Details:

• Oil painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 33 x 41 x 2cm (unframed) / 33 x 41cm (actual image size)
• Ready to hang
• Signed on the front
• Style: Naive
• Subject: Architecture and cityscapes