Art & Soul gallery will present Beyond the Landscape, a one-night exhibit celebrating the life and artistic legacy of Santa Barbara painter Chris Potter (1975–2024), 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, July 21 at 1323 State St., Santa Barbara.
The exhibit will feature a collection of abstract works that have not been publicly exhibited in more than two decades, according to the gallery.
Best known for his luminous plein air landscapes and his “Postcards from Santa Barbara” series, Potter dedicated his life to capturing the beauty of California’s Central Coast.
“His paintings became synonymous with the region itself, preserving fleeting moments of light, atmosphere, and place with extraordinary sensitivity and skill,” event organizers said. “While Potter’s landscapes are widely celebrated, few have seen the abstract works that preceded them.”
The display will showcase a group of paintings created before 2004, when Potter transitioned away from abstraction and toward the landscape practice that would define the remainder of his career.
“Together, these works offer a rare opportunity to witness the evolution of an artist whose visual language was already emerging through bold color, expressive forms, and a profound sensitivity to place and emotion,” organizers said.
A select number of original landscape paintings will be included, creating a dialogue between Potter’s early explorations and the mature work for which he became known. Both original artwork and fine art prints will be available for sale.
“Chris Potter didn’t just paint Santa Barbara. He became one of the ways people remember it,” Art & Soul said.
Raised in Goleta, Potter studied art at UCSB before eventually leaving a successful finance career to pursue painting full-time. Beginning in 2009, he committed himself to a daily painting practice that resulted in more than 3,000 original works and established him as one of the region’s most beloved artists.
Potter passed away in 2024, leaving behind an artistic legacy that continues through his artwork, his family, and the Chris Potter Art Foundation.