The artist draws sharks “floating” in the air

Toronto artist and sculptor Chris Austin is one of those who seem to love nature, but not the one that is commonly loved in society. He creates surreal episodes from the lives of fantastic sharks. And when he gets tired of drawing sharks, he starts with bears and whales.

More than 450 shark species furrow the waters of the world’s oceans, and many of them have a frankly bad reputation. Painter Chris Austen is trying to correct the situation and add a little appeal to the sea predator in his new series of paintings.

The Toronto-based artist has multifaceted creative practices and is excellent at both painting and sculpture. His diverse portfolio is largely inspired by the North American environment, particularly the Pacific Northwest. Austin explores the variability of landscapes as well as the fragile relationship between man and nature.

In his latest series of gouache paintings, the Canadian artist depicts one of the most formidable ocean predators, the shark. In these surrealistic illustrations, large white sharks and killer whales soar over water and urban landscapes, maintaining their quiet, mysterious appearance and not inspiring deadly fear.