Chris Oddie is a Blackburn based painter whose work moves between the lived texture of northern townscapes and a symbolic world of puppets and toys. His practice is rooted in place, atmosphere, and emotional presence, bringing together observation and imagination in a way that feels both contemporary and deeply connected to the North.
His townscapes draw from the streets, mills, and overlooked corners of Blackburn and the surrounding towns. These paintings carry the weight of real spaces, shaped through confident brushwork and decisive knife work that gives each surface a physical and honest presence. Light, weather, and the quiet drama of the everyday play a central role in how these scenes unfold.
Alongside this grounded world sits a symbolic canon of puppets and toys. Hollow eyed marionettes, stitched mouths, segmented limbs, and charged playthings appear under stark light, creating a sense of theatre and psychological depth. These figures act as emotional stand ins, exploring memory, vulnerability, and the shifting balance between control and surrender. They form a coherent mythology within his practice, where innocence and unease sit side by side.
Across both strands, Oddie works with emotional geometry and a commitment to truth in mark making. His paintings invite viewers into spaces where tension, atmosphere, and human experience converge, offering a contemporary reflection on the North and the inner worlds we carry with us.
You can find out more about this great up and coming artist by visiting
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