Marlborough Express Article: Working With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Painting offers new lease on life
By Angela Crompton

Rheumatoid arthritis forced marine engineer Chris Chalk out of the Royal Navy to a more studied world of oils and canvas.

"I'd always loved art," says Chalk, who became so ill a few years ago he thought he was going to die. "Then when I didn't die and I got a bit bored, I got some paints out instead."

The man from Wales shows a wry wit. Medical assistance has given him back some mobility but not enough to properly explore the alpine scenes or marine and lake shores he brings to life on canvas.

Six of Chalk's paintings will be included in the Marlborough Art Society's new exhibition, Sea and Sounds, opening in Blenheim on Saturday.

He is a society member and seems to regard this country as a second home. He flew back to Wales yesterday, ending a four-month stay in New Zealand and says he hopes to return later in the year. Key attractions are the natural scenery and the hospitality of New Zealand friends.

One is artist and fellow art society member Karen Neal and earlier this month he was in her Rarangi art studio where he showed off a couple of his works.

Inspiration for them came from visiting scenic spots like Milford Sound, Okarito and places in Queen Charlotte Sound such as Lochmara.

"It's a beautiful country," he says, then agrees Wales is too. Chalk's home is in Cilgerran, a west coast town in Pembrokeshire, near Cardigan. He belongs to an art society there, too, but members must wait until events are held at guild halls or theatres before they can display their works to the public.

"I'm impressed that Marlborough has its own gallery."

He also likes Marlborough Art Society members' art styles. "More people are painting stuff that look like stuff," Chalk says. "Not 'realism,'" he adds, "but painting what is front of them."

He hesitates to define his own style and when asked how long a painting typically takes, he quips: "They say a painting is never finished, it's just abandoned. I really only know when it's finished when I start making it worse!"

Water colours were the first medium he used, but the cost of art paper made him look for other options. "If you make a mistake you need a new [paper]."

Then he experimented with a box of oils he had inherited from his mother. "They were 55 years old," he laughs. "But they were the way forward. You can correct your mistakes [in oil] . . . scrape it off when it's wet or, when it's dry, you can paint over it."

Paintings by Chalk can be viewed from Saturday in the exhibition, Sea and Sounds at the Marlborough Yealands Estate Gallery, High St, Blenheim, alongside works by 11 other artists: Clarry Neame, Brian Baxter, George Dight, Lesley Reeves, Pam Sowerby, Colin Wynn, Rick Edmonds, Prue Matthews, Tony Roche, Ron Warnes and Dave Langham.