chris stain

Paris show nov 10

2007-10-21T14:59:00.001-04:00

Whitey On the Moon

2007-10-19T14:32:00.001-04:00

Down By the Train (incomplete)

2007-10-17T10:25:00.000-04:00

Box for SEIU 1199

2007-09-10T12:44:00.000-04:00

one from the Carmichael Gallery in LA opens sept 15

2007-09-08T22:26:00.000-04:00

SHAG Gallery preview for sept 20th

2007-09-08T22:22:00.000-04:00

Interview

2007-09-06T08:11:00.000-04:00

On your blog you say that in 1984 you got into street art to express
yourself outside of norms,tell us about that.

most kids are offered the usual sports for extra curricular activities
but they just didnt hold my attention enough. when i was introduced to
graffiti it was a whole new world, a whole new way of finding a sense
of self.

What were your first images?

my first work was the typical "trying to copy" different lettering
styles out of the subway art book or anywhere i saw graffiti.

Do you have a formal art training?

not really. i attempted to build a portfolio for art school when i
was 19 and enrolled in part time classes but dropped out because there
was much more art happening on the street.

You are putting across a message about "every day America/n's..the less
recognised individual".why?

i feel a kinship with these people because its how i grew up. i
wouldnt feel right making work that i have no connection with.

How do feel about your images of these people being bought by relatively
well off art collectors? And hung in homes that wouldn't readily admit the individuals depicted?

i would hope that there is some personal connection between the buyer
of the work and the person being depicted and that that is why they
bought it in the first place. hopefully one day the work will be
strong enough to inspire compassion in those who are in a place of
financial stability to help the people who are not.

Does it matter where art is seen? And by whom?

in my opinion the best place to display art is on the street. that way
its not censored by one persons prejudice and can be seen by all.

Where would graffiti if you could paint anywhere/anything?

never really thought about it. im happy with a good spot that the work
can interact with.

It seems that your work is almost exclusively about the American
experience,rather than global,tell us about that.

unfortunately the american experience is all i really know. just the
term "american experience" could mean many things to different people.
it goes back to trying to be honest with my work and not speaking on
situations i dont have first hand experience with.

There is a distinctly old fashioned feel to your images,what is that about?

that could be due to spending alot of time with my grandparents when i
was younger. their mannerisms and how they came across in their
deelings in life. a kind of grinding the gears without much oil.

Are there artists who you admire/love? Who/why?

the artists that i love are the ones i spend the most time with , my
friends. they are the ones who inspire me the most.

Are there artists who you revile? Who/why? i dont spend much time thinking about it.

Are there artists that have influenced your work? (German expressionists
and winter series?) kathe kollwitz and a list of others. the winter in america series was inspired by the music of gil scot heron. i get alot of my ideas from different musicians. woody guthrie, the roots, mos def, sonny terry, brownie mcghee, tom waits, the pogues, lucero, two gallants, crass.

You say that one of your main interests is reading,what are you reading
currently?

i am always reading charles bukowski.right now i am halfway through
"the people look like flowers at last". im also reading crass "love
songs" and kerouacs "sketchbooks."

Have you/your art been influenced strongly by any books?

kathe kollwitz diaries. there she talks about the struggle of being a mother and artist.

What/who keeps you motivated/engaged and painting?

alot of my work is therapy for me. dealing with the inner and outer
struggles and social issues.
i've got some generous support from swoon, josh macphee, and billy
mode, over the years and that has always helped.

How much do you use different mediums and why?

i usually stick with the aerosol paint and sometimes mix collage in.
its just where i feel comfortable.

what are your challenges as an artist?

finding time to make art. then once its made coming to terms with the
fact that it doesnt really make one hell of a difference in the grand
scheme of things.

How do you see yourself? As a street artist,an urban artist,a gallery
artist?

i never really thought about it. i am just a person who paints about
his life and what goes on around him. theres probably a term for it
somewhere.

Are these blurring now..in general/for you? n/a

Who would exhibit in your dream group show? my freinds and i.

If not inc' above,who are your fav' compemporary artists? i like jose parlas work.

Is there a piece of your work that you are particularly proud/fond of?
Explain.
Show it to us please!

i did a piece of an old railroad tramp standing in front of a feight
train. it was the first time i really caught the expression on his
face and the detail in his clothes. i gave the piece to bill daniels (
who is bozo texino? the movie) so i dont have it to show you.

What question would you most like to have been asked but haven't been? Tell
us and answer it!

i think you hit them all. thank you once again for your interest.

Show in Chelsea Sept 20th 2007

2007-09-02T17:42:00.000-04:00

SHAG
Sahlman Helwaser Art Gallery
547 west 27th street, 5th floor
new york, ny 10011
t: 212-594 -7424
www.shag-ny.com

Howard Street

2007-08-05T01:29:00.000-04:00

2007-07-31T11:01:00.000-04:00

Thousands Are Sailing

2007-07-26T10:04:00.001-04:00

Arraber

2007-07-26T10:02:00.001-04:00

Molly

2007-07-26T10:01:00.001-04:00

Fair Deal (print)

2007-07-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

Baltimore (print)

2007-07-26T09:59:00.001-04:00

a wild night on north avenue

2007-07-23T11:18:00.000-04:00

There were 3 unrelated arrests within an hour on the block where we were putting stuff up. needless to say we were overlooked.

Michael Row the Boat Ashore

2007-06-17T07:50:00.001-04:00

This piece was made at the time of the Katrina catastrophe.

William of the B&O

2007-06-13T09:02:00.000-04:00

Scrubber Woman

2007-06-13T09:01:00.001-04:00

Almost Lost Detroit

2007-06-13T08:59:00.000-04:00

Art Opening May 11th Brooklyn

2007-05-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

The show runs until the 3rd of June.

stain and swoon

2007-05-02T12:47:00.000-04:00

gen 2 and i outside the gallery

2007-05-02T12:44:00.000-04:00

braddock pa at the dorothy 6

2007-05-02T12:33:00.000-04:00

2007-04-30T12:57:00.000-04:00

2007-04-30T12:55:00.000-04:00

new work

2007-04-30T12:52:00.000-04:00

2007-03-27T12:36:00.000-04:00

Home Cookin'

2007-03-12T22:12:00.000-04:00

4 n milton

2007-03-11T18:27:00.000-04:00

these are photos taken in my grandmothers basement. i was 11 when i did the drawings. i had just gotten into graffiti and it was a wonderful experience.

2007-01-07T23:09:00.000-05:00

2007-01-01T17:24:00.000-05:00

for a limited time only

2006-12-14T09:25:00.000-05:00

i thought i'd try mixing some of my drawings and stencils together to see what happens. also to break out of the one image paintings. this is a rough sketch for a piece in the works.

lifes like a razor

2006-11-26T16:45:00.000-05:00

bethlehem steel worker

2006-11-25T19:18:00.000-05:00

Brooklyn

2006-11-16T19:44:00.000-05:00

WHEN will it end?

2006-10-21T10:46:00.000-04:00

the song remains the same

2006-09-13T22:38:00.000-04:00

p.o.w

2006-09-13T17:07:00.000-04:00

steady on the grind

2006-08-29T13:46:00.000-04:00

Mode Stain Macphee August 26 @ CAC in Ma

2006-08-10T17:33:00.000-04:00

vacancy

2006-08-08T22:09:00.000-04:00

rough sketch

2006-07-19T22:33:00.000-04:00

Genocide

2006-06-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

If you dont believe me read Howard Zinns "Peoples History of the United States."

lost souls

2006-06-25T08:58:00.000-04:00

jesse emailed me this photo. it was originally taken by lewis hine when he was working on the child labor series. i stenciled the words lost souls into the image but it doesnt refer so much to the kids themselves as much as it does the feeling that comes from meaningless work. in the background theres a piece of a print josh did from the winter in america theme we've been workin with. the whole thing is on rusted, scratched up steel.

ART OPENING

2006-06-08T05:57:00.000-04:00

abolish poverty

2006-05-17T22:08:00.000-04:00

A few from last year

2006-05-16T11:01:00.000-04:00

Lookin for Trouble

2006-05-16T08:19:00.000-04:00

tried and true

2006-05-15T17:37:00.000-04:00

recent (in progress)

2006-05-15T10:55:00.000-04:00

kesh & amara in fells point

2006-04-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

nfwa

2006-04-19T20:47:00.000-04:00

organize

2006-03-30T09:03:00.000-05:00

7 ' x 13 ' wheatpaste by me & josh macphee. it was one of those nights where the weather was just startin to break. lets hear it for spring! the piece, for me, has a lot to do with all the coal mining mess thats goin on.

WINTER IN AMERICA art show

2006-03-25T13:02:00.000-05:00

A Collection of work by STAIN, SCOUT, JOSH MACPHEE, and BILLY MODE. ONE NIGHT ONLY. Friday April 21st 2006 7-11pm
327 State St Albany NY.

north east bmore

2006-03-11T13:12:00.000-05:00

thought i'd try somethin a little different. oil sticks, spraypaint, collage, and brush.

August 1921

2006-03-10T08:25:00.001-05:00

this is the poster finalized. to read more on Blair Mountain go to : http://www.rootsweb.com/~wvcoal/red.html
to purchase this poster go to : www.justseeds.org

the battle of blair mountain

2006-03-07T18:54:00.000-05:00

heres one i am workin on for the peoples history poster series

one

2006-02-12T09:46:00.000-05:00

for my daughters first bday. she's now 4 and i owe her a few new pieces.

good company

2006-01-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

when we got there it was sleeting or something and the wind was picking up. it was a cold but beautiful night.

free your mind and your ass will follow

2006-01-13T19:57:00.000-05:00

there was a break in the clouds and we went for it.
works by myself,josh, and mayo.

the days run away

2006-01-10T08:02:00.000-05:00

this is a piece from last year that i just came across last night. you probably cant see it but theres some collage in there underneath the paint.

off erdman avenue

2005-12-28T22:01:00.000-05:00

first we stopped to get donuts and coffee on orleans streeet. then pat & i squeezed into bill's pick up and headed out to the erdman avenue yard. it was the first time i had been out in awhile. we mostly did tags-- just wanting to get out in the night air and be alone in the yard. after some time a train pulled in and a man swinging a lantern came walking through the yard on the other side of the cars from where we were. so we cut out. not many people know it but, there is a fountain of youth buried beneath the steel rails in a train yard.

235

2005-12-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

brian and i hung this piece a few winters back. the building, now gone, was just a shell of an old garage. i cut the stencil then we painted it on wood and screwed into the boarded up space.
it was fun-- but that was back when our lives were less complicated.

must see

2005-12-22T22:01:00.000-05:00

work and struggle

2005-12-21T08:49:00.000-05:00

mr casby

2005-12-18T21:49:00.000-05:00

this is an old one but sometimes its good to look back. a friend of mine had a book of portraits of various people. this one was adapted from a photo of william casby, one of the last survivors of that horrible plague of slavery to come out of the south.
the photo was taken in the 60's. i recreated it in the late 90's on some metal doors that i buffed yellow first.

my man rich

2005-12-14T21:02:00.000-05:00

i have to give credit to an old friend of mine who always kept me motivated and still does. rekenshit 104. it was through him that i was introduced to baltimores world of graffiti and thats where my story began.

adieu

2005-12-13T19:51:00.000-05:00

go down hannah

2005-12-11T20:42:00.000-05:00

inspired by a song i heard by lightnin hopkins.
the hats and clothing are cut out of paper, the rest is spray paint. its on an old piece of metal i found outside of work when we moved into the new space.

for nina

2005-12-11T20:36:00.000-05:00

sometimes its nice to break away from the routine. for this piece the only color i cut out was the black. the rest i painted in by hand. its from a photo of nina and her mother.

steppin out

2005-12-11T12:35:00.000-05:00

this was an experiment. i wanted to see how well wheatpaste worked in cold weather. it seems to be okay.

winter in america

2005-12-09T13:24:00.000-05:00

the theme for these pieces was inspired by the current state of affairs in america and the overtaxation of the poor and rising heating costs. the style itself was inspired by the woodcuts of the german expressionists and ny artists swoon, and josh macphee. all posters are $20 and a portion of the proceeds will go to HEAP to help people pay for heat this winter. you can order them by contacting me at stainitd@yahoo.com thanks!