Chuck Sperry

Chuck Sperry

Chuck Sperry lives in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, where he’s made his particular style of rock poster designs for over 20 years. He operates Hangar 18, a silkscreen print studio, located in Oakland.

By

“The Roots” Firehouse Poster Show in San Francisco at The Original Firehouse

I had the great pleasure to meet Teresa Nittolo, who is the present-day owner of The Original Firehouse, the root of the Firehouse in The Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company. I am happy to announce that I am having an art show at The Original Firehouse, the very place where Ron Donovan and I got our artistic start. This is a very rare opportunity to visit the place where The Firehouse began – a return to The Roots.

“The Roots” Art Show

Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company, Jacknife Posters (UK), Jorge Gamboa (paintings), Chase Marshall (handmade lamps and art)

The Original Firehouse, 1648 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco

Thursday, March 8, 2012, 6pm until late.

I will be exhibiting rare and formerly unavailable posters and prints for this very special evening!

 

The Firehouse located at 1648 Pacific Avenue is a landmark building built in 1917; I had the privilege to make silkscreened rock poster there from 1997-2001. I came to love this building. This lovely place was a great source of inspiration.   This crucial jump-start to my artistic career gave me the firm foundation for my recent achievements, exhibiting at the SFMOMA last year, representation at Varnish Fine Art Gallery, inclusion in SCOPE Miami / Art Basel last year, my large exhibition at the San Francisco Public Library and inclusion in their Art, Music and History Archive, and inclusion of my posters in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Teresa Nittolo plans to continue this artistic tradition, as quoted in The Bold Italic (February 17, 2012), she “plans to make Firehouse a multifaceted space that would include a café with outdoor seating, a small but well-curated library, a market-like area of rotating local vendors and artisans, a massive event space upstairs, and a rooftop garden. They are staring down the home stretch and they need their community’s support to get them across the finish line. Their dream is big and has come with even bigger challenges, but it’s wholly committed to bringing people together to create an inspiring story and space.”

Unfortunately, Firehouse 8 has gone into foreclosure (THEY ONLY HAVE UNTIL MARCH 8th) and Teresa and Gavin need help to hold onto it and bring their big dreams into reality. Angel investors take note. If this building goes into foreclosure, it will most certainly never be an art space again. Teresa is so very close! She needs your help! Help keep the Firehouse 8 Project alive and heading towards success!! Donate funds to the IndieGoGo campaign, or if you can offer your services or support in any other way please email Teresa at [email protected].

Photos: Chip Walker

I will be exhibiting rare and formerly unavailable posters and prints for this very special evening!

By

Free University Art School “Occupy Art” with Jon-Paul Bail

The Free University of San Francisco aims to make the highest level of education available, completely free, to any individual who wants it, regardless of color, creed, age, gender, nationality, religion or immigration status—a university free of money, taught for free. The only requirement for membership is a desire to teach and/or a desire to learn.

Jon-Paul Bail & Chuck Sperry, “Occupy Art,”  Free University Art School Event

Every Sunday, February 5, 2012 through March 4, 2012 – 2:30PM to 5PM

Viracocha

998 Valencia Street (at 21st Street)

San Francisco, CA

__________________________________________________

Course Description:

The Free University Art School is very proud to present Jon-Paul Bail prolific Bay Area artist who uses the streets of the world as his canvas. Since last year’s brilliant presentation – street action / wheat paste demonstration – at the Free University, Jon-Paul Bail has been extremely active making a series of “Hella Occupy” posters for the Occupy movement across the length and breadth of California. Based in the East Bay, “JP” set up a print station on site at Oscar Grant Plaza and the heart of the Occupy Oakland movement in the first days people gathered there. He began producing thousands of posters which have become iconographic to this historical event. As the movement spread and touched similar gatherings and actions across California, “JP” travelled and set up his mobile propaganda studio, printing at Occupy Oakland, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Occupy San Francisco. Jon-Paul discusses his motivations, methods and will bring our art class to a live on-site, print-making session at the Occupy Education action scheduled for March 1st – location to be disclosed later. Chuck Sperry and Jon-Paul Bail are collaborating on a poster design which will be printed in quantity in the class, and later printed live at the Occupy Education demonstration scheduled for March 1, 2012.

Come early / limited room!

Jon-Paul Bail / Chuck Sperry Collaboration in process:

Here is a sampling of posters Jon-Paul is presenting to the class – which he designed, printed and collaborated on:

 

Bio:

Jon-Paul Bail (JP) founded Political Gridlock in 1991 and has been posting street art ever since.  JP’s work is branded by strong cohesive messages and relevant imagery, putting a funny and sometimes shocking spin on popular culture.  His work reference issues that are based in local, national and global communities.  His first company was called Reagan Wear and was co-founded with Ron Donovan from The Firehouse Kustom Rockart Company.  Having studied silk-screening with Malaquias Montoya at California College of the Arts from 1986 – 1989, JP graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1991.  His poster titled Inhail to the Chief , which depicts Barrack Obama smoking a blunt, was featured in rap artist E-40′s music video featuring Dem Boyz in 2010.  He has done print work for Winston Smith and Emory Douglas and has shown work in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Rome, Italy.  JP’s art is in the collections of the Legion of Honor, Oakland Museum, and Center for the Study of Political Graphics and has been published in four political art books (Yo! What Happened to Peace, Reproduce and Revolt and two editions of Paper Politics).

By

The Black Keys, London, “The Three Fates” Poster Release

Here’s the Black Keys poster release. Posters will be released tomorrow on this post.

I reserved 70 posters from the regular edition of 260 on pearl silver paper, to be specially released as uncuts. I’ve noted which numbers in the edition of 260 are cut and which are uncut (below).

I am also releasing two rare variant editions of 30 which are only produced and released in uncut form.

I left a little room around the edges for these uncut versions – as the cut versions left some of the image off – so that explains the difference in sizing.

I will be making a very limited release of this poster (cut and uncut, and variant uncut editions) on Sunday, February 12, 2012 at a random time.

The Black Keys London 2012
“Clotho” February 9, 2012
Edition of 260 (cut numbers 1-190)
10.5 x 24
four colors on pearl silver paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

________________
The Black Keys London 2012
“Lachesis” February 10, 2012
Edition of 260 (cut numbers 1-190)
10.5 x 24
four colors on pearl silver paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

________________
The Black Keys London 2012
“Atropos” February 11, 2012
Edition of 260 (cut numbers 1-190)
10.5 x 24
four colors on pearl silver paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

________________
The Black Keys London 2012
“The Three Fates” February 11, 2012
Edition of 260 (uncut numbers 191-260)
32.75 x 24
four colors on pearl silver paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

________________
The Black Keys London 2012
“The Three Fates” February 11, 2012
Pearl Cocoa Edition of 30
32.75 x 24
four colors on pearl cocoa paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

________________

The Black Keys London 2012
“The Three Fates” February 11, 2012
Pearl Blue Opal Edition of 30
32.75 x 24
four colors on pearl blue opal paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

________________

By

The Black Keys, London 2012, “The Three Fates”

ATTENTION: Click for link to Poster Release – Sunday, February 12, 2012 at a random time.

Tonight is the first show of the SOLD OUT three night stand at Alexandra Palace in London. Chuck Sperry did a poster for each night, and he here’s what he had to say about the set: “I was inspired by The Black Keys song ‘Gold on the Ceiling’ which comes across to me as a song about fate and success.

The posters depict The Three Fates – Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos. Clotho spins the thread of life, Lachesis measures its length, and Atropos cuts the life thread at the end.

I printed the lifework in Eye-Fry Blue on the Fluorescent Red figures. The optical effect is very bizarre. There’s an illusion of depth in the figures that looks like they are floating on the paper.”

I will be making a very limited release of this poster (cut and uncut) on Sunday, February 12, 2012 at a random time.

The Black Keys London 2012
“Clotho” February 9, 2012
Edition of 260
10.5 x 24
four colors on pearl silver paper
Signed and Numbered
The Black Keys London 2012
“Lachesis” February 10, 2012
Edition of 260
10.5 x 24
four colors on pearl silver paper
Signed and Numbered
The Black Keys London 2012
“Atropos” February 11, 2012
Edition of 260
10.5 x 24
four colors on pearl silver paper
Signed and Numbered
I will be making a very limited release of this poster (cut and uncut) on Sunday, February 12, 2012 at a random time.

Archives

Sperry Books: “Color x Color” • “Helikon” • “Chthoneon” • “Idyllion”

Latest Blog Posts