Christopher Martin Hoff has died, suddenly and too young. He touched many of us at 4Culture in his role as painter and community member. He exhibited his artwork and painted in the neighborhood – Hoff was a plein-air painter and could be found on the street painting most days, rain or shine. Hoff sought and found poetics in urban street scenes and the incremental changes in the built environment brought by builder and graffiti artist alike. An ongoing series of paintings chronicling the building going on at the site of the World Trade Center in New York was facilitated by the Port Authority.

We are proud to have his artwork in King County’s Public Art Collection – some terrific paintings of his are installed  at Harborview Medical Center. His painting of the construction of Harborview may be viewed on the 6th floor of the Norm Maleng Building. Hoff’s artist statement given at the time of the purchase:

“My paintings seek aesthetic beauty in the artifacts and organization of our ‘built environment.’ They are the physical manifestations of an active approach to experience which invites one to see the ‘ordinary’ as a source of unlimited creative potential.”

Christopher joined Susan Robb for The Long Walk last summer, and created some lovely watercolor paintings that you can find on the Facebook page for TLW. He also was the recipient of a 4Culture Individual Artist Grant. A friend’s remembrance closes by urging her artist friends to pursue their work with something of the diligence and engagement Hoff brought to his life and artwork, a fitting way to honor him and not a bad approach to the limited time we share here on earth.

Christopher Martin Hoff’s website.

Thanks to The Stranger for their remembrance.

A 2010 interview with Hoff via The Puget News.