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 Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters, October 8, 2011

I’m happy to announce I’ll be attending TRPS Festival of Rock Posters. First, I’ve got some news to share regarding some exclusive releases for the Festival. Second, I have a special promotion to tell you about.

First, I’ll be making some very limited variants available on a one per person basis only to participants of the exposition on October 8, 2011. There are some surprises here:

The Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

30 x 22

Blue Linen Variant Edition of 25

6 colors on blue linen paper

Signed and Numbered

This exclusive release is only available at TRPS Festival of Rock Posters, October 8, 2011.

The Black Keys, Outside Lands, San Francisco

August 13, 2011

20 x 34

Blue Linen Variant Edition of 25

6 colors on blue linen paper

Signed and Numbered

This exclusive release is only available at TRPS Festival of Rock Posters, October 8, 2011.

Humanity

22 x 33

Blue Linen Variant Edition of 4

6 colors on blue linen paper

Signed and Numbered

This exclusive release is only available at TRPS Festival of Rock Posters, October 8, 2011.

 

Widespread Panic “Summer” Poster

Gold Japanese Mulberry Variant Edition

22 x 33

7 colors on imported Gold Japanese Mulberry paper

Signed and Numbered

Edition of 5

This exclusive release is only available at TRPS Festival of Rock Posters, October 8, 2011.

Widespread Panic “Summer” Poster

Silver Japanese Mulberry Variant Edition

22 x 33

7 colors on imported Silver Japanese Mulberry paper

Signed and Numbered

Edition of 3

This exclusive release is only available at TRPS Festival of Rock Posters, October 8, 2011.

________________________

Okay second, my special promotion, well, treasure hunt really.

If you’ve been reading my blog closely you may be aware that I have a lot of art work hanging around the fair City of San Francisco. I’d like you see to see all my art in person – so I’m providing a little incentive – in a fun way.

First here’s a list of the three exhibitions where I have work showing (then I’ll show you what you get, if you go and see them; and explain how you can get it) …

1. The San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art Window Gallery is exhibiting an 11 foot by 9 foot acrylic painting of mine called “Saint Everyone” on Minna Street (which is hanging with Chris Shaw’s and Ron Donovan’s paintings in adjoining windows). There is also a colaborative piece, I painted with Chris Shaw, called “Temporally Bound (Three Gorgons)” which is installed on Natoma Street on the other side of the SFMOMA garage.

2. Varnish Fine Art Gallery is exhibiting a painting of mine called “Heathen Child” at 16 Jesses Street as part of their Relaunch Show.

3. The San Francisco Public Library is exhibiting “High Volume: Rock Art from the Chuck Sperry Archive and the Firehouse Goldenvoice Poster Series” at the Main Branch on Grove and Market.

Here’s what you get – limited to one per person – on a first come / first serve basis – while supplies last:

The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters, 2011

18 x 33

Edition of 100

2 colors on imported purple linen paper

Signed and Numbered

_________________________

Here’s how you get it:

Take a photograph of yourself in front of my art as exhibited in one of the following shows:

1. SFMOMA Window Gallery, “Saint Everyone” or “Temporally Bound (Three Gorgons)”

2. Varnish Fine Art Gallery, “Heathen Child.”

3. San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, “High Volume.”

You must be physically present at one of the above listed shows and take a photo of yourself there: in front of my art. Then bring the photo to me at The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters on October 8, 2011 and show me your photo. Once I verify that you have indeed been to one of the above listed shows, and have successfully taken a photo in front of my art there, then you will receive my poster (directly above) entitled “The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters, 2011” (limited to one per person while supplies last on a first come / first serve basis). This exclusive release promotion is only available at TRPS Festival of Rock Posters, October 8, 2011.

BONUS GIFT VARIANT: You must be physically present at ALL THREE LOCATIONS (listed as 1. SFMOMA , 2. Varnish Fine Art , 3. SF Public Library above) of the above listed shows and take a photos of yourself at ALL THREE LOCATIONS: in front of my art. Then bring the photos to me at The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters on October 8, 2011 and show me your photos. Once I verify that you have indeed been to all three of the above listed show locations, and have successfully taken photos in front of my art at all three locations, then you will receive my  BONUS GIFT VARIANT of the poster entitled “The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters, 2011” (limited to one per person while supplies last on a first come / first serve basis). This exclusive release promotion is only available at TRPS Festival of Rock Posters, October 8, 2011.

 

By

“Heathen Child” Painting

Heathen Child painting by Chuck Sperry, 2011

I’m still riffing on the ideas that opened up when creating the SFMOMA Window Gallery installation. How to synthesize painting with silkscreen printing? What about a rock image makes a great painting? How can the processes of silkscreen printing, especially the layering effects, be brought off as a painting?

I brought some elements of the Window installation painting, “Saint Everyone,” to my new painting, “Heathen Child.” I’m working from a rock poster palette and from rock poster imagery. The Ginderman poster was the basis for the imagery of “Heathen Child,” but I wanted to take this in a new direction with materials and technique.

I used my circle patterns and carefully silkscreened a wide selection of patterns in different sizes in heavy metallic blue silver with green tinting on very delicate japanese printing paper. I was sure this would make a wonderful color for the background of the painting, layer nicely and become embedded in the surface of the canvas.

I laid a thick layer of cadmium red for the figure and flowers. This was modeled – shaded and highlighted – with many glazes of fluorescent red and orange to build up the surface and form. I brushed in shadows of cadmium and knocked those back with subsequent glaze layers of fluorescent. I needed the final edge color to be intense enough to eye-fry when the blue line was brushed on at the end. But wanted the shadow effects to translate in the finished art.

The lava forms were built up with fluorescent push-pull with cadmium, but the difference there was to build up a highlighted finish with pearl lustre. There is an pearlescent finish on the lava forms.

After the red areas were treated I put the background. Each circle was carefully cut out and then puzzled right to the edge of the red figure. I used gloss gel medium for under the paper surface and liquid gloss medium brushed over the paper surface.

Cobalt and permanent green for the foliage over the layered paper at the foreground.

Then when the brush and stars aligned – I finished the figure with blue eye-fry paint – first-stroke best stroke style – breathing deeply and making gestural strokes until it was finished with a very nice worked-in brush.

Like “Saint Everyone” – “Heathen Child” is a painting exploring direct religious experience in a psychedelic key of fluorescent, and perhaps a little more pagan or pantheistic in scope. Here’s some details (click to see larger):

Heathen Child, 2011

Acrylic and applique on canvas

24 x 26

______________________

Heathen Child is available through Varnish Fine Art Gallery, 16 Jesse Street, San Francisco.

I’m really happy to see Jen Rogers and Kerri Stephens have brought Varnish Fine Art back to life and have such cool new digs for shows!

Varnish Fine Art Relaunch Part I

September 24 – through – November 5, 2011

group show with: Chris Mars, Robert Williams, Jennybird Alcantara, Laurie Lipton, Isabel Samaris, Scott Musgrove, Annie Owens, Craig LaRotonda, Nathan Spoor, Chuck Sperry, Kevin Peterson, Beth Bojarski, Edith Lebeau, Aunia Kahn, Ciou, Robert Bowen, Sri Zeno Whipple, Winston Smith, Kevin Evans, Dylan Sisson, Skot Olsen

 

By

Widespread Panic – 25th Anniversary – Fall Tour 2011 Poster

Widespread Panic invited me to make their 25th Anniversary Tour Fall Tour 2011 poster; the band needed an edition of 2000 to cover over 30 dates. I thought of Geraldine and The Honey Bee. Widespread Panic is like the life-giving flower and the fans stop to listen and feed from the beautiful experience. The concept was set, but making 2000? It seemed a tall order. The band was a bit apologetic, but there were those 30 dates, and the Spring tour poster sold out quite fast. So we thought let’s just give it a try.

In doing so many posters – I didn’t want to compromise: I didn’t want to plate sign these – so I hand signed and numbered each one. I didn’t want to use fewer colors. I wanted to continue to experiment with cool inks. I designed this in 7 colors on archival cream paper. Gold and silver metallics underlay the design with shimmering goodness (four and a half gallons of silver and two gallons of gold to complete 2000 posters). Four tinting colors fill in the spectrum. The last color (printed over the black) is a special mix of opalescent, pearlescent and interference blue on the translucent wings. So I’ve been as busy as a bee this last month, and the Firehouse was a hive of activity.

Widespread Panic 25th Anniversary Fall Tour 2011

16 x 29

Edition of 2000

7 color silkscreen (metallics, glazes and translucent tinting colors)

Printed on archival cream paper

Signed and Numbered

Poster will be made available by Widespread Panic during their tour.

I will be making a very limited release of Artist Proofs and variants after the tour.

Geraldine, chrysanthemine
Prettiest little flower that I ever seen
She’s a friend of mine, she’s a friend of mine.
Petal child, growin’ wild and
Even though she’s livin’ in a compost pile
She’s my glitter and my gold
She’s my glitter and my gold

Whoa Geraldine, have you forgotten?
Baby I have come for your sweet pollen.

I can’t wait to pollenate
Come on pretty baby let’s celebrate
Warm and livin’
The takin’ and a-givin’
Whoa … my my my

Love you high, sting you low
Buzzin’ everywhere that you let me go
Go my way, mama let me go my way.

Whoa Geraldine, have you forgotten?
Baby I have come for your sweet pollen.

I might go gray, I might go blind
I’m never goin’ back to that honeysuckle vine
Long as your alive, I’ll buzz around your hive.

Geraldine, chrysanthemine
Prettiest little flower that I’ve ever seen.
She’s my honeydew baby
Honey do me again
Oh-ho

By

Humanity – Art Print Release – LA vs. War

Humanity

Edition of 50

6 colors on archival cream paper

22 x 33

Signed and Numbered

———–

My favorite revolutionary political posters are from the Cuban Golden Age of political graphics from the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. There is a colorful fusion of psychedelia and political message. I did this poster in the spirit of clear, bold, direct communication.

I wanted to communicate the “visible” world and the “hidden” world that everything in objective reality depends on. Like the world of “ideas” and the world of “objects.” Or the world of spirit and the world of life. The individual struggle and the human struggle.

It’s a sort of yin yang idea….

There’s this greater submerged “underground” reality – it is larger – breaks over the bounds of the poster. It could represent spirit or humanity. The above ground living flower is represented as transitory (it is losing petals in the wind) – but it’s roots go down from the heart to the heart of the submerged reality – where it is fed – and eternal.

The hard part was to show something this complicated in a simple and pleasing graphic.

———–

I will be making a very limited release of this poster online through the Varnish Fine Art Emporium on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at a random time.

 

 

By

Varnish Fine Art Relaunch Part I

September 24 – November 05, 2011 

After being displaced from our former location due to a transportation project, Varnish Fine Art reopens with an official relaunch group show of paintings and drawings at Varnish’s new location 16 Jessie Street @ One Ecker Place in downtown San Francisco.

Relaunch Part I marks the reopening of Varnish Fine Art at its spanking new space in San Francisco, CA, only a stones throw from the old digs.  The gallery “sets sail” on Saturday September 24th with its most exciting group show of two-dimensional artwork yet.

For an event of this magnitude, the gallery is relaunching with two group exhibitions, Relaunch Parts I and II.  As the first exhibition at the new gallery space, Part I features reunited artists plus artists who’ve recently come aboard to create paintings and drawings for this event.  Relaunch Part II follows on its heels with a group show of sculpture in a variety of media.

The 21 artists in the show include internationally-known artists represented by Varnish such as Chris Mars, Jennybird Alcantara, and Chuck Sperry as well as infamous guest artists Robert Williams–the big Daddy of Pop Surrealism–and Laurie Lipton, charcoal on paper artist of the highest caliber.

An opening reception that is also a gallery reopening event deserves champagne. For the opening reception, many of the artists will be in attendance, and will experience the new gallery space for the first time along with Varnish’s illustrious clients and friends.  In addition, the artist Dylan Sisson has prepared a special interactive piece to commemorate the party in the form of a “Monster photo-booth.”

Open to the public, the reception for Relaunch Part I will take place on Saturday September 24 from 4-8pm.

Archives

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

Latest Blog Posts