re: 1001 posts

hello friends, family, ex's, lovers and fans,

hope all is well in your world, i'm doing alright in mine. just painted a bunch of murals across canada, starting in montreal at a 'decolonizing street art,' festival, the 1st year, then i was in prince albert, saskatchewan where the indigenous people's artist collective commissioned me to paint a large mural for their 2 story cafe festival. i also did a book launch there for my new book, 'a moon made of copper,' then i went to vancouver and victoria for art, book launch and a gig with "the monster project," the band for the grunt gallery's 30 anniversary party. things didn't go as planned, but i still had fun in vancouver. then i was in boundary country where i ended my little mural tour across canada and had a lot of fun and met a lot of great people.

so, for now, here's a few photos from the boundary country mural i did with the grade 11/12 class, and something for you to check out. as well as some graff i did here in kamloops at a local high school with my bro KAST. it's nice to be able to finally paint stuff legally and have fun, while bringing art to the streets and the students. opening minds and ideas to street art, proving it can be fun, safe and non-gang related. i'm going to breathe some life back to my blog and start posting again.  been through a lot the past year or two, and was burnt out and tired, but i'm finally feeling good. taking a bit of a break from the art world has been great. the band i'm in, "the monster project," is exciting and fun, mixing heavy guitars, atmospheric guitars and with dj beats and live visuals by Deano Hunt and Bracken Hanuse Corlett respectively.

well, we'll talk more soon and i hope you come back and keep checking out the blog and art, and adventures!

cheers,

cb

the concept sketch

the concept sketched in on the wall

the tarp to protect us

and the mural from the elements.

first gig with scaffolding

putting the kids to work!

get'r done!

painting.

ladder painters

the art teacher was 6 foot 9

we used kobra cans

for the waves

but ran out.

and ordered more

they arrived on the final day

of painting.

whew.

the finished mural!

took 8 days, at about 10 - 12 hours or so

in total. 

re: workshop and cops.....

hello lovers,

here are some workshop photos from a recent arbour collective workshop. we were printmaking and painting on the walls. it was fun painting on the walls. i love it. anyway. it was a good workshop and i love building community and community arts based projects, they're so rewarding and awesome. it's hard to explain, but i often tell me i'm over myself as an artist and get more out of helping others. weird eh? haha. 

and then after the workshop, i saw a weird scene with cops and fire dept. attending to a passed out native dude on the sidewalk. they knew him by name, which made it more sad, or tragic. but they were nice to him and treated him like a human being instead of garbage, which is what i'm used to seeing aboriginal people being treated like by most. sigh. 

that's the effects of residential school, the destruction of aboriginal families, culture, language and community. it pisses me off when non-aboriginal people ask me why "we can't just get over it." think about the stuff i just said in this paragraph. i suffer from post trauma syndrome, i've seen a lot of horrible things in my life growing up, and i'm struggling to overcome this stuff every day. it's complicated. 

anyway, until next time,

chris. 

it was weird to go from an awesome workshop

to this scene on the way home.

at least the cops and the fire dept. treated

this poor aboriginal man well

and with dignity.

it made me sad to see him

on the streets like that. sigh.

re: home sweet home.....

ahhhh, home, i love it and hate it! hahaha

anyway lovers,

don't get me wrong, i love traveling, i love making art, i love meeting new peoples, i love wrecking new places, but it's nice to get back home. plus, i usually do extended tours, or am gone a week or six at a time. all my plants have died, well, not all, i've got four that are heartily still giving it a go. haha.

but i miss my kids dearly, and even though each trip is supposed to expand my mind, or my group of contacts, i don't really believe it is always that beneficial? the art world, like any world is full of liars, sycophants, double talkers, back stabbers and the like, but it is also full of potential patrons, friends, lovers, leavers, and the like, so it really is a fun way to navigate the world.

just be smart. or stupid. whatever. hahahaha, don't take advice from me.

i am just as capable of self-sabotage as well as anyone else! and i often do it by accident, and sometimes by design! hahahahahahah.

anyway, here's some images from the road.

enjoy!

cb

the wall i painted at 180 projects/gallery

in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Reggie's, a great dive pub/bar in SSM,

it reminds me of the Central Pub in Kamloops.

a lot.

dials, gadgets, spinners and things.

my baby, i missed her. 

she's always by my bed. 

waiting for some action.