Chuck Sperry

By

Extended Engagement: Chuck Sperry at l’Oeil Ouvert, Paris

loeil-ouvert-extended

Due to the overwhelming positive response from art lovers and the French press, we’ve extended my successful Paris exposition to January 1, 2014. We had meant this show to be a humble introduction of my prints to the Paris public, with a larger show to follow at l’Oeil Ouvert scheduled for June. Well, what a great introduction! I’m grateful to the wonderful people at my Paris gallery, l’Oeil Ouvert. We garnered much press attention from le Parisien, Que Faire a Paris, France Culture, Paris la Nuit, Paris Tonkar, Wonder Brunette, Ooze and many others. I am humbled and grateful!

The few prints left after a quick and surprising run for this exposition, have been replenished, and many, many more of my prints have been brought to Paris to be viewed and acquired.

I will be reserving some of my newest titles and rarities to be shown in Paris at l’Oeil Ouvert for our big show coming in June 2014.

Paris Exposition October 15 to January 1, 2014 http://en.loeilouvert.com/

74, rue François Miron 75004 Paris – Métro Saint Paul

Tel : 01 83 62 05 86 – Mail : [email protected]

Open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM and Sunday from 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM

By

“Kissing The Girl From Jupiter” for Spoke Art’s Exhibition Tribute to Wes Anderson

KISSING-THE-GIRL-FROM-JUPITER

Kissing The Girl From Jupiter
33 x 22
Edition of 50
7 colors on archival cream paper
Signed and Numbered

KISIING-THE-GIRL-FROM-JUPITER-GOLD

Kissing The Girl From Jupiter
33 x 22
Gold Edition of 12
7 colors on gold metallic paper
Signed and Numbered

KISSING-THE-GIRL-FROM-JUPITER-BRONZE

Kissing The Girl From Jupiter
33 x 22
Bronze Edition of 12
7 colors on bronze metallic paper
Signed and Numbered

KISSING-THE-GIRL-FROM-JUPITER-OPAL

Kissing The Girl From Jupiter
33 x 22
Opal Edition of 12
7 colors on opal metallic paper
Signed and Numbered

________________

I’m happy to reveal my new print for Spoke Art’s “Bad Dads, an art show tribute to the films of Wes Anderson.” Below is information regarding the Spoke Art’s show, and below that, my inspiration for creating the print.

Spoke Art is proud to present:
Bad Dads: an art show tribute to the films of Wes Anderson

Friday, November 1st
Halloween costume party at the gallery
All ages, no cover, 6pm – 10pm

Saturday, November 2nd
Halloween costume party at the gallery
All ages, no cover, 6pm – 10pm

Sunday, November 3rd
Castro Theatre triple feature
Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom
screening starts at 5pm
prints from the show will be available for purchase

Learn more or RSVP via Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/535301666558420/ 

Monday, November 4th
All remaining original works and limited edition prints made available online
3pm PST (approximate)
http://spoke-art.com

I have become a huge fan of Moonrise Kingdom, having watched this movie many times.

Last year, I was in constant flight making shows and appearances non-stop; I watched Moonrise Kingdom end to end over a dozen times. These were long flights, whiled away happily involved in Mr. Anderson’s world of Moonrise Kingdom. I have a policy: I would rather watch one excellent movie over and over than to watch one bad movie once.

I flew in my own Moonrise Kingdom from the US to Europe, Europe to the US. Then I watched it some more, 17 hours San Francisco to Argentina for my appearance at the Trimarchi Design Conference and back again 17 hours. Then I watched it yet more from San Francisco to New York City just in time for my ill-fated Moonalice Art Show at the Brooklyn Bowl during Hurricane Sandy with the stars of the San Francisco Rock Poster Tradition (Stanley Mouse and Wes Wilson no less). By the time Halloween ruffled Manhattan the day after the historic hurricane passed, and I strolled to the Neue Museum on East 88th to catch some Vienna Secession art work, passing adorable children in their Halloween costumes, trick-or-treating on the Upper East Side, I was experiencing the pathos of a festival celebrated on the wake of disaster with a mind which had deeply ingested massive doses of Wes Anderson’s tragic serio-comic sensibilities. Strange it was just a year ago. Stranger still, the feeling of having absorbed this movie into one of the busiest and most rewarding and odd periods of my life hasn’t passed.

My art print “Kissing The Girl From Jupiter” for “Bad Dads” is a celebration of the amazing screen chemistry, the romantic pairing of actors Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman who play Suzy Bishop and Sam Shakusky in Moonrise Kingdom. Characters Sam and Suzy are mis-matched lovers caught in a doomed fantasy. Their star-crossed love story takes bloom with a first kiss in their Moonrise Kingdom. I aim to contrast the realism of my portrayal of their figures to a fantastic, near psychedelic background depicting a romantic, emotional truth of first love. It’s a very innocent piece. The title “Kissing the Girl From Jupiter” refers to the title of a science-fiction fantasy book that Suzy has brought with her in her flight to Moonrise Kingdom, one which was featured in the animated short film Wes Anderson made to promote the release of Moonrise Kingdom (see below).

By

TRPS Poster Release Information

TRPS-REG

The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters, 2013

22 x 35

Regular Edition of 75

7 colors on archival cream paper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

_____________________

TRPS-BRONZE

The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters, 2013

22 x 35

Bronze Edition of 20

6 colors on metallic bronze paper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

_____________________

TRPS-GOLD

The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters, 2013

22 x 35

Gold Edition of 20

6 colors on metallic gold paper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

_____________________

TRPS-OPAL

The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters, 2013

22 x 35

Opal Edition of 12

7 colors on metallic opal paper

Signed and Numbered

Sold Out – Thank You!

________________

This year The Rock Poster Society, Festival of Rock Posters was amazing! I want to thank everyone who came to join us at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park for a memorable event. A huge thank you to the whole TRPS crew who made such an amazing show possible!

Thanks to everyone from TRPS, Expressobeans, and all my friends and supporters who fought through Friday’s BART Strike traffic to enjoy my Open Studio Party, “Hometown Disadvantage.” The show was a huge success – the line started to form at noon – a first for my humble West Oakland Gallery space! I was completely floored by the response that met me and Chris Shaw at our opening! Thanks to Celine Teo-Blockey who turned out a bunch of people through her great story in the San Francisco Examiner!

The Chris Shaw / Chuck Sperry show, “Hometown Disadvantage” will be up for the rest of the month, open by appointment, I am happy to schedule a meeting. Just send me a note via my contact email above and I will schedule a time to meet.

By

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Big Top, October 17 through 20

ESMZ-BIG-TOP

 

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Big Top (hand-printed silkscreen)

21.75 x 35

Edition of 500

5 colors on uncoated white paper

Signed and Numbered

________________

I will be making a very limited release of my silkscreen poster and some rare test prints of it at my Open Studio Party “Hometown Disadvantage,” on October 18, 2013 at 6pm to 11pm, and at TRPS Festival of Posters at the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate Park on October 19, 2013, doors open at 10am. 

BIG TOP FINAL WEB

 

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Big Top (Offset printed Program Poster)

20 x 30

___________

This past month, I’ve been working closely with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros to produce two very special posters for their amazing “Big Top” event at the Los Angeles State Historic Park this coming weekend, October 17, 18, 19, and 20. What a lovely crew of people!

As the project developed, I realized that there was a lot of cooperation going on. Strange, in this ego-fueled world of rock’n’roll. I started to notice, hmm, spectacular lack of ego politics with ESMZ. This Big Top, cool as hell circus event, with bands, performers, artists and even a farmers’ market, was being organized in a very open-ended way. Sure, there are big sponsors and production companies involved. It’s a professional concert. But as discussion evolved over the project, everyone started chiming in. And everyone in this crew was so respectful and endlessly supportive.

Working like this felt like the new way to organize society and social relationships, but saying that, I don’t want to make such a big deal out of it. Isn’t this how we should treat each other anyway: normally, decently, and with a patient capacity to listen?

While working on this project, there was a lot of discussion between me, band members, management, and event organizers. I’ve had experience with working in large groups to create art, and I have to admit it can easily turn into a “too many cooks” situation. That said, I’ll be damned, the creative environment around this group of people is unique, open and ridiculously easy. When you see ESMZ, this large band creating amazing music, sharing the stage, letting everyone in the band, and in the audience INTO the process, well, working with them was just as easy and cool and beautiful as that. Word!

This grand generous spirit will abide this weekend at the Big Top, I’m sure of it, and I believe everyone is going to have the most memorable and fantastic time at this rare multi-dimentional event!

I started with the program poster and created a psychedelic circus master; and then for my silkscreen poster, I enlarged on the fantastical circus tent over the circus master’s left shoulder. There is our utopian Big Top, our new community, high on a lofty mountain, a kind of Shangra-La of imaginary delights. I could have drawn the tent bigger. I could have focussed on that. I thought to do that. Believe me this will be one Big Tent event, in every meaning of the words. Instead, I put our Big Top tent high on an impossible hill, where the eagles dare, and where once you go inside, you may find your guru, wise man, best friend forever, your never-never, your inner child, your outer chill, your upper register, your underground, your overstanding, your best self.

Archives

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

Latest Blog Posts