- Christopher Ulrich -

In 1999, Christopher Ulrich was new to Los Angeles. He was a young artist living alone in a tiny one bedroom apartment in a rough section of Boyle Heights. From his window you could see into the local diner across the street, and from the diner you could catch a glimpse into Ulrich's bedroom. Clearly visible in his window was a woman, or sometimes women, plural…stoic, posed… practically gliding past the window when they moved. Strangely, no one ever saw the women enter or leave the apartment building with Christopher. That's when the stories began.

Patrons of the diner began to talk about the apartment's odd inhabitant, and speculated about his nighttime activities. He became a sort of local fascination as the regulars tried to unravel the mystery. Was he a serial killer? A pimp? A leader of some tiny suicide cult? The tales only became weirder until one day, while Christopher was having lunch in the diner, one of the regulars finally summoned the courage to ask him: "What's the deal with all them ladies you got up there?" "Ladies?" Christopher was confused at first, and the local pointed towards his window. "Look! Like her, there, right now. I've seen you talking to her, too. But she's just sitting there, staring at the wall. Is she on drugs or something?" And then he understood. "Oh, nooo! Those are my mannequins. I live with two of them and I have to keep moving them around so they get the right light. I need them for my work and they're better than a living person sometimes." From that day forward the regulars left a few empty seats between themselves and this burgeoning artist.

But those mannequins played a vital role in Christopher Ulrich's artistic development. He was struggling at the time, working as a security guard at the Norton Simon Museum, and painting in his apartment at night. The museum job provided education and inspiration as he was surrounded by work from Goya, Rembrandt, Botticelli, Picasso, and Degas. At home, he worked tirelessly perfecting his technique. This exhibit of mannequin studies represents the building blocks of Ulrich's abilities. They illustrate his experimentations with lighting, composition, figure drawing, and color. Unable to afford sitting fees for live models, he used what was available to him so he could keep progressing to develop his talent.

Uncovered during a recent studio move, I saw these paintings and asked Christopher if we could exhibit them. I think it's important for artists and other art lovers to see the work from an early stage such as this, where technique and vision starts to solidly come together. These are not commercial pieces; it is simply work for the sake of the work. Never before shown, these paintings are the roots of a truly great artist.


Original Artwork For Sale (click image for larger picture):


"Mannequin #1"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$800.00


"Mannequin #2"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$800.00


"Mannequin #3"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$800.00


"Mannequin #4"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$800.00


"Mannequin #5"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$500.00


"Mannequin #6"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$500.00


"Mannequin #7"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$500.00


"Mannequin #8"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$500.00


"Mannequin #9"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$400.00


"Mannequin #10"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$300.00


"Mannequin #11"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$300.00


"Mannequin #12"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$250.00


"Mannequin #13"
by Christopher Ulrich
22.5"x30" unframed
oil on Strathmore paper
$250.00

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