I first met Chris back in 1979 at Seacon, the World Science Fiction convention in Brighton. We'd known about each other's work before this but this was our first meeting..inevitably at the bar. He was flogging a calendar featuring his trademark spacecraft in all their convincing high tech wonderfulness..his speciality - and I was there to promote the illustrated book I'd recently completed with Pierrot Publishing. I still have that calendar somewhere! Over the years we regularly caught up - usually at conventions - and always got on like a house on fire...he was such an easy-going, pleasant man to spend time with - even if one had to listen yet again to some of those hoary old much-repeated jokes (but it was the way he told them!). Several times we headed off to some of the big U.S. cons - usually with our fellow-artist Fred Gambino and I think we rather amused the Americans - a kind of joined-at-the-hip quaint limey delegation flying the flag for UK science fiction art. And they loved him over there for sure...he made friends so easily. I remember how he was eventually persuaded to take his guitar over - somewhat reluctantly (although maybe not deep down - as he knew his own capabilities) - to join in one of the jamming sessions that the attending artists would organise at Illuxcon  - the 'Symposium of Imaginative Realism' (an appropriate label I think for Chris's unique artistic style) - and how he blew the other musicians out of the water slipping easily into the front man rôle.
I always felt that Chris deserved far more by way of recognition in the field..more by way of GoH invites and indeed awards..often handed out to far-less talented people. One has to be a little bit pushy maybe...loud even to get noticed out there and Chris's easy-going and unassuming, far-too-modest nature didn't help him garner these trinkets  - but it was that nature that made him such a very, very nice man to be around.
These events are full of great memories for me..Chris being so much a part of those memories. And I will never forget his generosity when, just a few years ago as Sue was recovering from a serious illness he decided to let us have his lovely rented property down in West Bay for a week...for free...a quite spontaneous gesture of kindness and generosity.
At future conventions there will be a large Chris-shaped hole - and I will miss him hugely as I know will many others.