Willapa Valley
Chase LangfordÕs painting practice emerges from a lifelong fascination with the endlessly varied forms of the natural world. This fascination began during childhood, and grew rapidly; by his teens, Langford had gathered a personal collection of over 1000 atlases and maps. His cartographic impulse quickly carried over to his studies in geography at UC Santa Barbara, and later to a job creating maps for faculty at UCLA. In the 1980s, with a perspective deeply informed by the rich visual patterns of the organic world, Langford began exploring ways in which he could integrate cartography and fine art. Equipped with skills in both life drawing and ceramics, he began a painting career inspired by natural phenomena both intimate and vast.
