Christopher Joseph Potter, a renowned landscape artist beloved by the Santa Barbara community, died suddenly on February 3, 2024, just days after his 49th birthday.
The first person I met in Santa Barbara when I moved to Santa Barbara twelve years ago was Chris. I had gone out to check the surf at Hammonds just south of the Coral Casino and Biltmore Hotel. There’s a tree to the right of the Coral Casino where Chris was set up in the shade working on a painting. We hung out for an hour and had a great conversation. Our paths would continue to cross, and Kirsten and I feel incredibly fortunate to have one of his paintings.
Chris Potter’s Family Art Shows became known as legendary gatherings, where he sold works small and large. Prices ranged from near-nothing to tens of thousands of dollars, and paintings were frequently donated to support a variety of causes, including his most recent donation just weeks ago to a young woman fighting cancer. Chris Potter’s pieces hang in public and private places all over Santa Barbara and beyond, leaving a visual legacy that will be appreciated long into the future.
Those who would like to support Chris’s wife and daughter Malakye and Zenia can donate to gofundme.com/f/for-malakye-and-zenia.
Some of the information for this post came from the Santa Barbara Independent.
