June 27th – July 26th, 2026
Northport, NY– Haven Gallery is honored to present New York based artist, Chris Becker, for his second solo show, “Castles in the Sky”, at Haven Gallery. “Castles in the Sky” features a collection of nine meticulously rendered graphite drawings of surreal skyscapes featuring the artists unique rendering of architectural hot air balloons. Ethereal sky bound vessels dreamily navigate through waves of clouds as passengers look out from their airships into the vast empyrean atmosphere. Becker continues his skillful use of graphite, creating monochromatic landscapes full of depth and wonder; a cinematic and timeless air is captured through his soft approach of medium, further aiding the ageless nature of human ingenuity and dreams.
There’s something magical about old architecture. Classical, Gothic, Beaux Arts, and all their brethren. We can feel the magic when we’re in a place that was built with rich artistry and care. Architecture enriches our environments so they are more than their function alone. In the realms of the surreal, architecture can embellish any forms and function that we can dream of. We can make them fly. We can make them our peaceful retreat or our vessel of adventure. They can be a lookout toward a tranquil horizon, or a means for us to journey beyond it, following our reveries, daydreams, and all our flights of fancy.This collection combines two things that stir my imagination the most; beautiful old architecture, and vibrant skies. I started exploring these ideas over 20 years ago in various doodles, digital art, and drawings. Over the years I’ve riffed off one idea after the other, and this collection has been the latest culmination of that process.
About Chris Becker
Chris Becker is an artist and software engineer, who once dreamed of being an architect, based in New York City. He enjoys exploring surreal, fantastical forms that spark the imagination and conjure thoughts of dreams and strange new worlds. His art is often inspired by classical architecture, technology from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the wealth of natural wonders to be found everywhere between the earth and the sky. Some of the art he most enjoys include the great vibrant landscapes of the Hudson River School, photography from the early 20th century, and the work of artists such as Hugh Ferriss, M.C. Escher, Yoshitaka Amano, as well as other contemporary fantasy and steampunk artists.
As a self-taught artist, Chris was inspired to paint at the age of 7 after watching Bob Ross on TV. Over the years he picked up digital art, and then settled into working primarily with graphite on paper and panel. Chris grew up in upstate New York and went to college in Buffalo, NY where he studied cognitive science and computational linguistics. He has worked in the technology industry for nearly two decades while developing his artwork on the side.
View available work from Chris’s last exhibition, “City of Another Time” via the link below:
https://www.artworkarchive.com/rooms/erica-berkowitz/4682d7
