Chris was born in Johannesburg in 1931, son of a mining engineer and horticulturist. At school he excelled at sport and music, learning to play the violin and guitar. School was followed by Art School in South Africa, where he concentrated on graphic design and from where he went on to work for South African Railways in their Art Department, designing posters for the company. However, Chris wanted to travel and left South Africa for Europe enrolling at Central School of Art School in London where he met and married printmaker Sarah Hall.
Chris started to work in advertising, gradually moving into the world of television but maintained his roots in design, be it designs for the family home or designing exhibition posters. In the 1980’s Chris and Sarah finally settled at the idyllic Priding, Gloucestershire on the banks of the River Severn and he began producing large bold prints of local characters and landmarks, also prints influenced by his upbringing in South Africa.
He became a member of the RE in the 1980’s and exhibited with Sarah in 2-man shows and printmakers’ shows around the country. Chris’ work has also been donated to the Special Collections at Manchester Metropolitan University, the donation comprises editioned prints and proofs, sketches and blocks.