Fall 2026

66 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 6 A t first glance, some might dismiss this Carmel painter’s work as merely whimsical. That would be a mistake. Leib’s paintings are rife with symbolism and meaning, layering images of wild, jungle dwelling bonobos apes with high-tech deep space explorers and science fiction themes to comment on the state of the human condition. And he uses centuries-old oil painting techniques in these finely detailed, meticu- lously crafted and mesmerizing works. Originally from San Francisco, Leib was—perhaps fittingly—an anthro- pology major.“But I was always drawing on the margins of my notebooks,” he says. On a lark, he answered an ad for a clip art company, and to his surprise was offered a job as an illustrator. “So, I was working alongside people who had graduated from the Academy of Art, which I had never heard of.”That changed, and he took classes there, seriously studying art for the first time. For many years, Leib was a portraitist, working in the U.S. and abroad before finding his voice in the subjects he works with today. He shares a studio in Carmel with his wife, painter Kirstine Reiner Hansen. Leib’s work can be viewed at www.chrisleib.com. — Michael Chatfield ART I ST PROF I L E Chris Leib Photo: Kelli Uldall