Chris Chantland has been active in the sporting world since working for an electric collar company in Tucson, AZ in 1981 – and even before that while working for an avid coonhunter on a farm in Iowa. In 2000, he joined Iams/Procter & Gamble as a performance breeds marketing manager, while also painting in his spare time. He donated a painting to the Eukanuba National Championship in 2002.

Chris Chantland has been the official artist of the National Retriever Club and National Amateur Retriever Club since 2001. Every year he donates a painting of the winning dog of the respective Nationals to the clubs and the clubs give it to the dog's owner.

Chris specializes in dog and people portraits, and has combined the two for many commissions over the years.

He exhibits at the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival and Southeastern Wildlife Arts Festival. His paintings have graced the covers of Retriever Journal, Pointing Dog Journal and the Callbacks Directory, as well as being featured in other magazines such as The American Field and web sites.

At least three of his paintings, including portraits of Rex Carr and Mike Lardy, are in the Retriever Hall of Fame at the Bird Dog Museum in Grand Junction, TN.

Chris’ paintings are in the collections of people like Ted Turner, Mac and Lynn DuBose, Luann Pleasant, Tommy Parish, Jan Blount, Charlie and Jeannie Chapin, Sallie Sullivan, Jim and more.

Chris is an active member of the Outdoor Writer’s Association of America, and has been a sponsor of the Master National Retriever Hunt Test, the Ruffed Grouse Society and Quail Unlimited.

In December of last year, Chris started Sporting Artisans,™ an on-line retail web site that represents many of the nation's most talented sporting artists.

Sporting Artisans.com combines the most talented sporting artists from around the country onto one site. Categories include paintings, prints, sculptures, home furnishings, jewelry, ceramics, apparel, food, music and more. The unique thing about the site is that anything can be customized. Basically, customers are not limited to what they see there, but can combine artist's work to make one custom piece. There are also exclusive works offered - like Patton crystal, leaping lab belts, ceramic lab tiles etc.

At Sporting Artisans (to a maximum of $10,000), a customer can earn 50 cents for every $1 spent on merchandise or paintings to go towards their own original, custom commissioned portrait of their own dog, family member - whatever.

Photo: Courtesy of the Traverse City Record Eagle