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.

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GRAPHIC RADICALS: 30 Years of World War 3 Illustrated

GRAPHIC RADICALS: 30 Years of World War 3 Illustrated

December 7, 2010 – February 7, 2011

Opening Tuesday, December 7, 7-9pm

 

Exit Art

475 Tenth Ave

New York, NY 10018

Gallery Hours:

Tuesday – Thursday 10:00am – 6:00pm

Friday 10:00am – 6:00pm

Saturday 12:00pm – 6:00pm

NEW YORK – Graphic Radicals is a 30th anniversary retrospective of World War 3 Illustrated, an independently published political comic magazine founded in 1980 by artists Seth Tobocman and Peter Kuper. Comprised of original comics, drawings and paintings, posters, commissioned murals, documentary film, animation and a complete set of issues, Graphic Radicals will be the largest World War 3 exhibition to date and will highlight the history that World War 3 has scrutinized, documented, and participated in for three decades.

World War 3 Illustrated was first established in response to the Iran hostage crisis and impending election of Ronald Reagan and since then has confronted social and political issues ignored by the mainstream press. The magazine is an annual publication produced by a collective of artists with each issue addressing a particular theme. WW3 has covered topics as diverse as the Tompkins Square riot, homelessness, first-person accounts of 9/11, the prison industrial complex, a teachers’ strike in Mexico, Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts and, in the upcoming issue, the food chain.

Critic Lucy Lippard wrote of World War 3 Illustrated that its “ecological and social prophecies are coming to pass, and the apocalyptic vision that gives WW3 its desperate force and unique identity is the present.”

ARTISTS

Mumia Abu Jamal, Penny Allen, Peter Bagge, Isabella Bannerman, Rosie Bottom, Steve Brodner, Zenzele Browne, Leigh Brownhill, Christopher Cardinale, Sue Coe, Scott Cunningham, Brian Damage, Eric Darton, Eric Drooker, Kate Evans, FLY, Susan Greene, Ethan Heitner, Chris Heneghan, Paula Hewitt, Mirko Ilic, Ryan Inzana, Melissa Jameson, Sandy Jimenez, Sabrina Jones, Kathy Kelly, Tom Keough, Stephen Kroninger, Peter Kuper, Irene Ledwith, Tom McDonald, Mac McGill, Rebecca Migdal, Naji-Al-Ali, Ursula O’Steen, Maddalena Polleta, Kevin Pyle, Carlo Quispe, Corinne Rhodes, Spain Rodriguez, James Romberger, Joe Sacco, Nicole Schulman, Susan Simensky Bietile, Erin Sinefit, Chuck Sperry, Art Spiegelman, Tenesh, Seth Tobocman, Teresa Turner, Lawrence Van Abbema, Anton Van Dalen, Edwin Vazquez, John Williamson, Susan Willmarth, Samantha Wilson, Leah Wishnia, David Wojnarowicz, WW3 Arts In Action, Micah Ian Wright

Organized by Peter Kuper, Seth Tobocman, and Susan Willmarth.


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GWAR at The Regency, November 21, 2010

Part flesh-eating zombie / part Glenn Beck portrait, my poster for Gwar at The Regency Ballroom is printed on Abrasive 150 Grit Sandpaper in an edition of 125. Perfect for rounding wood corners and for fixing uneven table legs.

I made two variants:

There is an edition of 12 on Very Fine 220 Grit Sandpaper – The best choice for sanding after priming, staining and sealing.

There is also an edition of 12 on Extra Fine 320 Grit Sandpaper – Ideal for sanding between coats of finish.

It seemed appropriate to make a poster for Gwar that would destroy all other posters. And given the abrasive personality of Glenn Beck only harsh sandpaper paper would do. I printed this by hand at Hangar 18, with extra care, applying four coats of ink on the bottom layer, three coats of ink on the second color, and two coats of ink on the last (sanding lightly between each layer – just kidding). One unintentional coolness that happened while printing this is that the clear blue final color picked up texture and luminosity from the emory and sand – and shines like a metallic ink. Even when I try to use regular colors they go metallic on me!

Gwar at The Regency Ballroom, Sunday, November 21, 2010

Firehouse Goldenvoice Poster Series Number 124

9 x 11

Edition of 125

3 colors on Abrasive 150 Grit Sandpaper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

Gwar at The Regency Ballroom, Sunday, November 21, 2010

Firehouse Goldenvoice Poster Series Number 124

9 x 11

Edition of 12

3 colors on Very Fine 220 Grit Sandpaper

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT

Gwar at The Regency Ballroom, Sunday, November 21, 2010

Firehouse Goldenvoice Poster Series Number 124

9 x 11

Edition of 12

3 colors on Extra Fine 320 Grit Sandpaper

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT

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Black Label Society, Clutch at The Warfield, November 20, 2010

Black Label Society, Clutch, Children of Bodom and Dublin Death Patrol burned rubber at the Warfield on Saturday, November 20,2010. A straight-ahead rock show like this needed a no-bullshit rock poster. I kicked out this Old School design with two pedal-to-the-metal metallics (gold and silver-blue metallic), a fire-red tint blend and all the cool texture you need to get good traction off the line. Fire it up and let the engines roll!

Photo of the actual poster below:

Black Label Society, Clutch, Children of Bodom & Dublin Death Patrol at The Warfield, Saturday, November 20, 2010

Firehouse Goldenvoice Poster Series Number 123

30 x 23

Edition of 125

4 colors on archival cream paper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

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Anodized Aluminum Prints from Röckaholics II

I’m pleased to show my anodized aluminum editions from Röckaholics II, curated by Guenther Dobrauz in Zurich, Switzerland. Guenther introduced me to Heinrich Mantel AG, producer of the finest anodized aluminum editions in Europe today.

American Artifact

Anodized Aluminum

48 cm x 64 cm (18.9″ x 25.2″)

Edition of 5

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT

Brian Setzer

Anodized Aluminum

41.5 cm x 64 cm (16.3″ x 25.2″)

Edition of 5

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT

English Beat

Anodized Aluminum

45 cm x 64 cm (17.7″ x 25.2″)

Edition of 5

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT

Neko Case

Anodized Aluminum

48 cm x 61.5 cm (18.9″ x 24.2″)

Edition of 5

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT

Phoenix

Anodized Aluminum

48 cm x 64 cm (18.9″ x 25.2″)

Edition of 5

Signed and Numbered

SOLD OUT

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Photos taken while signing these with an engraver’s scribe. Note: There’s a clear blue plastic protective layer on these (see above for actual anodized aluminum print).

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Swiss Tour 2010 – Zurich Memories

Guenther Dobrauz, organized Röchaholics II, a great gathering of some of the world’s best Rock Poster artists and photographers. Guy Burwell, Lindsey Kuhn, Ron Donovan, Malleus, Chris Hopewell, Blackyard, Michael Hacker, Fabien Von Unweth and I took residence at the Rosenmatt Villa (pictured above) to throw down some rock visuals and have a great opening. I was met at the Zurich train station by Lindsey and Guenther who took me directly to meet the other artists; we were shown around the premises of Heinrich Mantel AG, maker of the finest anodized aluminum in Europe, and large format, highest quality, silkscreen printer. Here’s some shots of us in the Mantel’s amazingly appointed print studio. It was explained how our editions of anodized aluminum would be digitally printed by this devise below – ink would be layered over and over in a very time-consuming process where the image is scribed 7 times – over and over – to drive the image deeply into the carefully prepared aluminum substrate. In exact, precise alignment each print in the edition is entirely scribed over and over to add richness and detail.

Then the aluminum, with the image deeply imbedded into it, is heated in a finely controlled process to bond it into the metal and seal it over with an anodized layer of bonded oxygen molecules. You can see the gang here in front of the heating chamber.

Then Guenther and the whole crew at Mantel made us a warm, hospitable fondu at the print studio. Good to taste fondu and smell the familiar smells of the print shop all at the same time. Really outstanding, so good!

Back to the Rosenmatt to set up. Here’s Lindsey Kuhn, Chris & Jo Hopewell, and Mr. Mantel on the pitch.

And no Hooligans – that goes for you!

There are great shots from the actual Röckaholics II show here – One final pair of shots – dawn in Zurich – as I took a few hours to walk around and ponder. Listening to something very good on my headphones, I was surprised to watch a woman exit from the front door of her house near a bridge demurely wearing a beach towel, slip nude at dawn into the freezing river that rushes out of the lake right in the heart of beautiful old Zurich, and swim with the swans flanking her on either side. It was about the most graceful thing I ever saw.

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

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