Christophe Jacques Bouchard is a French-Canadian athlete-turned-fine artist. While Christophe grew up near the Rocky Mountains in Canada, it was Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, that was like a home away from home, making much of Christophe’s life a contrast between snowy mountains and sandy beaches.
Despite Christophe’s Disney-related upbringing, he never anticipated doing what he does now: painting classical portraits of beloved Disney characters.
Approach and Philosophy
While each Disney animated character may be fictional, the human traits that they embody are real. Thus, Christophe’s approach and philosophy when it comes to his Disney work is to imagine himself entering the world of each character and ‘meeting’ them in person, treating them as though they are posing for him live, painting them with the same stateliness and dignity as he would a real person. To Christophe, it is important that he aims to depict a character not only as he interprets them, but also how they might interpret themselves.
Personal Life
Outside of his art career, Christophe has experience with many sports, including a 15-year athletic career in competitive Irish Dancing, from which he retired ranked top ten in the world. Recreationally, he has also enjoyed snowboarding, basketball, pickleball, street hockey, bowling, surfing, rock climbing, and more. Today, Christophe nurtures a particular passion for volleyball.
Outside of his athletic interests, Christophe has a background in acting and voice acting, as well as 17 years of video editing and production experience. Christophe also enjoys traveling, studying body language, creative writing, reading sci-fi novels, going to the movies, volunteering, and making crepes for his friends. Christophe’s favorite dog breed is the Dachshund.
Outside of his athletic interests, Christophe has a background in acting and voice acting, as well as 17 years of video editing and production experience. Christophe also enjoys traveling, studying body language, creative writing, reading sci-fi novels, going to the movies, volunteering, and making crepes for his friends. Christophe’s favorite dog breed is the Dachshund.
Education
Christophe earned his BFA in Fine Art, Digital Art, and Animation from DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington. Under a merit scholarship, he received formal training in fine art, animation, and film production from gallery artists and former Disney Renaissance-era animators, directed an award-winning animated short film, and occupied six teaching assistant roles before he graduated with honors.
Christophe established his art studio in 2022 and went on to pursue Disney Fine Art.
"This is especially true with portraits: Every painting tells a story.
It's stories that make up who we are."
-CJB
It's stories that make up who we are."
-CJB