Christopher Payne is an illustrator, designer, and printmaker who grew up on the outskirts of California's Mojave Desert. Whether in ink, watercolor, screen printing, or other practices, his work views nature through a distorted lens, exposing elements not often in the spotlight and creating alternate realities that highlight the inevitability of death and the suffering that underlies every creature's existence. Perhaps somewhat existential by default, it acknowledges fate gracefully, cultivates beauty out of darkness, and stresses the importance of balance.

Payne got his start by being actively involved in the underground music scene, and in 2004, he founded Folktale Records, a record label that specialized in limited edition, hand-packaged releases on a variety of formats, which he ran for thirteen years. In 2011, he co-founded Fine Print Press, and is editor in chief of its imprint Fine Print, an independent literary and visual arts magazine. His artwork has appeared in the television shows Silicon Valley (HBO) and Loosely Exactly Nicole (MTV / Facebook Watch), and has been shown in galleries throughout the United States and abroad. He currently resides in Austin, Texas.