Artist Christopher Barnhart of Razor Artwork learned the joy of experimentation from his father and fellow artist, Cornelius. 

“A mistake is just an opportunity to learn something,” says Barnhart.

Together, the duo has pushed the boundaries of the empty canvas. They’ll bounce ideas off of one another and try out new techniques. They even coined one called “the shake.” They drip liquid acrylic paints onto a clean surface and shake it to see where the paint flows.

It was through this process that Barnhart created “Infinite Possibilities,” which was chosen for Knight Creative Communities Institute’s Art of the Box program.

“That piece was from the first session we did together,” explains Barnhart. “I must have looked at the canvas for a week before applying the first level of color. I kept rotating it on the wall to see what I saw in each direction. One night I started in the corner and never looked back.” 

Barnhart used etchings, block prints, linocut and stamps to create a mutli-layered and three-dimensional effect. From some angles the colorful patterns resemble fabric. An even close look might reveal figures or faces. Barnhart says he sees unity in the piece and is proud to have it shared with the public. 

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