Local artist flows through obstacles like the rivers he creates
The transition from a supervisor to an artist was artist Chris Haggerty’s answer to a calling. After six years in the Navy, Haggerty moved home to Long Island, New York, to live what he describes as the American Dream. He had it all: a coveted six-figure job, children, home ownership, and family nearby. But the dream turned into a nightmare as Haggerty spent long hours in a dark control room, working as a supervisor for a local power company. “Work became a blur of working out of a basement,” he recalls.
Working twelve-hour shifts, five to seven days a week, left Haggerty with little time to live out the dream with family and in his home. He had little time off, and he rarely saw the sun during the winter. Although he made six figures, Long Island was oppressively expensive, and he says he had little to show for the work. “We were still kind of struggling to make it,” he explains. “I became extremely depressed and believe that this art saved my life.”
Haggerty began with small woodworking projects such as shelves for his wife and hand-carved signs. Later, while on a plane descending into Jamaica, inspiration struck when he looked out the window. He began to make tables featuring beach landscapes, which developed into wall art and eventually, river wall art. “I believe that God gave me this urge to start creating these pieces,” he says. “To kind of bring nature to me.”
Navigating the Current of Life and Art
An untrained artist, Haggerty’s creative expression flowed through trial and error. He brought nature in by gathering materials like sand and shells from the beach. Although he first used commercial wood, he later salvaged rescued wood from lumber mills and fell in love with the restored, natural beauty of woods like walnut and maple. “Once I started creating the pieces, the darkness disappeared. I knew this was what I needed to be doing.”
While living in Virginia, Haggerty and his wife often spent hours at Goshen Pass in the Blue Ridge Mountains, watching the river roar by. The river transitioned from a source of relaxation and escape to a symbol of hope and inspiration. “Rivers are the one thing that shapes the earth,” he reflects. “They really don’t just stop because something gets in the way. They end up going around, over, or through whatever it is to get where it’s supposed to go.”
The rivers symbolize Haggerty’s journey through both his initial struggle and his perseverance as an artist. “Imposter syndrome is real,” Haggerty expresses. At times, he doubted himself as a professional artist, but he rediscovered his purpose and now creates art full-time. His artwork adorns his home office walls and motivates his continued journey. Through it all, Haggerty channels the rivers he creates and inspires others through his evocative river art.
