Gibraltar born artist Chris-Anne Ullger Alcantara is a well known member of the local art scene. She obtained a BA Hons in Fine art at Reading University in 2006 where she had the opportunity to really find herself as an artist, experiment with various art forms, learn about contemporary artists and visit numerous art exhibitions and galleries in London. In 2007 she decided to pursue a career in teaching, completing a P.G.C.E. in Art and Design at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff. She is now Head of Textiles and also teaches Art at Bayside Secondary School in Gibraltar where she relishes motivating and encouraging young pupils to be innovative, nurture their talents and push them to become successful creative individuals.
A portraitist at heart, her pieces are evocative and resonant with emotion. Chris-Anne has experimented with a range of media in her works including Pencil, Soft pastels, Ink, Acrylics, oils and in recent years has also created digital paintings.
Chris-Anne has won a number of prizes at local competitions including a number of Highly commended prizes, Young Artist awards and most notably the First Prize at the Spring Arts Festival in 2004, 2015 and 2017 and also won the Culture award at the ‘Our Gibraltar’ Exhibition in 2020. She was also invited to exhibit alongside other acclaimed artists in Gibraltar at the Clarendon Gallery in Mayfair, London in 2012.
Chris-Anne was also commissioned by The Government to paint a portrait for her Majesty The Queen in 2012, as a gift from Gibraltar. Upon receipt of the painting, the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, received a letter from Buckingham Palace saying that it was a thoughtful gift which The Queen had been pleased to receive. This, she recalls, ‘has been the highlight of my career so far’.
“I tend to be quite a quiet and reserved person but it is through my work that I am able to really express myself. I personally could not imagine not being able to paint or draw as it is such a major part of my life. I was always a very creative child and would usually be found making things out of cardboard, drawing portraits from old magazines or colouring in my much loved colouring books.”
“I have been inspired by so many artists in the past; in particular Diego Velazquez, Joaquin Sorolla, Jenny Saville, Chuck Close and Lucien Freud have played a major part in my love for painting. My life long ambition would be for my art to provoke the same emotion in others that these artists have had on me.