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WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018
THE COMET
Chris quinn: androids, black light and that poster shit
BY RON EVANS
W
enatchee artist Chris Quinn’s work has been seen around the valley in galleries, art stores and distinguished party houses for decades. For 31 years he’s been patiently and meticulously honing his skills, mostly with acrylics and airbrush. These days he’s spending more time in the metal shop constructing nightmarish robotic fiends straight out of a Terminatoresque apocalypse. I caught up with him for a chat about his work, his inspirations and his straightforward approach to commercial art. What drew you toward a more popculture based art form subject-wise? My friends urged me to paint less creepy stuff. Subject matter that would be more readily sellable. Also I just loved those images of Jim Morrison and Marilyn Monroe. The fine art world in the past has looked down their nose at commercial art but with the lowbrow and popsurrealism movement, that tide has changed to some degree. Have you had anyone try to steer you toward a more traditional “fine art” path? I had an acquaintance who was a famous artist and once I asked him to look at my portfolio. He was very stern and critical of what he called “that poster shit” and asked me if I was just interested in making money or if I
wanted to be taken seriously. I said, to me money is pretty serious.
for yard art and I was building a robot. Of course I was going to build a robot, right?
You used to hold showings of your works at your house in what we now call pop-up shows. How did this shape the way you created a following and handled sales? Having art shows at my house was more of a way to get girls than it was a way to sell art, although it worked out pretty well. And now being older, it makes more sense to put it in a gallery and let someone else deal with the sales. I found I’m not that great at marketing. I should be painting and letting someone else handle that.
One of the more unique aspects of your work comes from the ultraviolet paintings. How did you get involved with painting for black light? Even as a young man I’ve been completely fascinated with the properties of black light. The fact that we can’t actually see the light but only what reacts to it seemed to be the perfect medium to create something strange and unusual and that’s my favorite style.
Your paintings are mostly acrylic via airbrush. This is a common yet often intimidating way to paint. Talk about why you prefer using compressed air to make pictures over brushes or pens? I prefer using an airbrush for one simple reason. Once the tool is mastered the process is greatly sped up. The way I use it still takes some time though, as it’s about finesse. You are now creating sculptures in your shop as well. Is metal work new for you? I started welding 16 years ago. My partner was paying half the rent at the shop - he was cutting out Kokopellis
Describe any differences in the creative process when dealing with metal and fire versus paints and canvas? For me when I am painting I need a detailed plan. I just don’t start with pen to paper and end up creating a masterpiece. With metal that’s different because you can put it together like a puzzle using different parts of transmissions and any other free material you acquire. The pertinent difference is it takes me months to complete a metal sculpture and only hours to complete a painting. What would be an ideal career for you in the arts? Probably a creature creator for movies, kind of like HR Geiger’s input to Alien.
Have commissioned works been a large part of your creative output? I used to do a lot of commissions but I realized the hard way that no matter how good of an artist you are, you can’t make everybody happy. And if somebody cannot put down on paper what they see in their head, you better make damn sure you understand fully what they’re wanting, or it’s a recipe for disaster. Painting originals of a trademarked entity, characters from films or celebrities is often covered under fair use. It gets trickier when trying sell prints or other products bearing these images. Have you had any issues with these troubles or is it a don’t ask don’t tell sort of situation? I have never done very much printing. I have primarily sold originals so I haven’t had to deal with that issue much yet, although I have been contacted by the original artist of a painting I had done for myself. He was upset that I didn’t give him credit. That’s only because it was a magazine clipping and I didn’t have his name, but he received credit as soon as he sent me the email. What’s up next for you art wise? I think I would like to do another black light show soon. C