The place where the sea meets the land and the land meets the sky is the natural habitat of Chris Langlois. VICTORIA HYNES explores his observations.

Hazy sea mists, brooding skies and an endless rolling ocean merging into a shimmering horizon - this typically characterises a work by the Sydney painter Chris Langlois. Attempts to find any focal point in Langlois’ panoramic land and seascapes prove to be frustratingly elusive. Instead, distance and space are the features of his evocative, poetic compositions.

Langlois, a forty-year-old artist based on Sydney's northern beaches, has regularly said that his ephemeral paintings are "of anywhere and nowhere and everything and nothing". The artist is more interested in capturing atmospheric effects than in creating a sense of place. "It's about the space in between," says Langlois, "it's the subtle nuances that interest me."

To read more of this item and others, subscribe now or simply order Issue 21 of aAR by clicking here.

Image: Chris Langlois, Ocean (Bilgola Head) no 2, 2009, oil on linen, 153 x 153 cm.