Chuck Sperry

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  • Books: Color x Color • Helikon • Chthoneon

August 8, 2020 By squirt

Sperry Books: “Color x Color”, “Helikon” & “Chthoneon”

Helikon The Muses of Chuck Sperry

“Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry” gathers together Sperry’s masterfully screen printed wood panel series of contemporary-classical muses: work inspired by the spirit of the modern rock poster, graffiti, and the utopian ethos of 1960’s psychedelia.

More Details about Book

(Silver Edition) $55 Including Shipping US Orders Only




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“Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” delves boldly into Sperry’s artistic imagination, inspiration and reasoning, continuing where it’s companion book “Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry” left off. “Chthoneon” collects 22 gorgeously photographed new Sperry screen printed art works paired with the prose or poem — from Aristophanes to Margaret Atwood — that inspired each.

More Details about Book

(Silver Edition) $55 Including Shipping US Orders Only




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“Color x Color: The Sperry Poster Archive” illustrates the 40 year career arc of renowned rock poster artist and master screen printer, Chuck Sperry. The 750+ page tome features over 800 color reproductions of Sperry’s work, from his early years creating posters for Bill Graham’s legendary Fillmore Auditorium, to his eye-arresting work for The Who, Eric Clapton, Pearl Jam, and the Black Keys.

More Details about Book

Color x Color • Second Printing • US Only • $120 Including Shipping




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Color x Color • Second Printing • EU Only • 120€ Including Shipping

European buyers • Please provide phone number with PayPal order • I’m sending UPS and they require it.




Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chthoneon, Chthoneon The Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, Color X Color, Color x Color: The Sperry Poster Archive, Helikon, Helikon The Muses of Chuck Sperry

March 19, 2019 By squirt

Fort Wayne Museum of Art Acquires Sperry Tapestry “Demeter” for Permanent Collection

Thank you Fort Wayne Museum of Art for acquiring my large-scale tapestry Demeter for the permanent collection of the museum. I’m thrilled that Demeter will hold a place in the museum’s collection and inspire future generations.

 

Demeter, 2018 
Chuck Sperry 
82.7 x 126 inches (210 cm x 320 cm) 
Handwoven wool tapestry 

Production 
Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos 

Master Dyer 
Rafael Morquecho 

Weavers 
Antonio Flores
Pedro Ibarra Cazares (aka Solin) 
Abraham Flores
Pedro Ibarra Hernandez 

Semele Tapestry by Chuck Sperry

Excerpts from “Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” — Buy Chthoneon Here

I. The Tapestries

I was naturally drawn to realize my work in tapestry because the medium’s many resonances to my production methods, subject matter and themes. It’s archival permanence also appealed to my aim to seek a balance with the ephemerality of my work on paper. 

Historically tapestries have dealt with mythological themes, some of the earliest tapestries being whimsical depictions of Ovid’s Metamorphosis for the titillation of noble classes. I felt it would be interesting to re-envision these same themes in tapestry, reclaiming the divine feminine in a self-empowering way, for a classless milieu that underscores equality and democratic principles. In the 19th Century, William Morris, who championed “Art For All”—an appeal to the “makers” and their democratization of the arts —re-invigorated the ancient art of tapestry, lending me yet another reason to seek out this medium to express my work. 

Having encountered the striking beauty of Damián Ortega’s tapestry “Microchip IV” at the Mexican gallery Kurimanzutto at Art Basel in December 2017, I reached out to this tapestry’s producer Jaime Ashida, director of Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos, in early January of 2018 to pursue the realization of two triptychs: Graces and Thesmophoria. 

I was attracted by Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos’ use of metallics and the subtle shadings of color apparent in the Ortega tapestry. I intuited that this workshop would take great care to realize my subtle textures, transparencies and uses of metallic patterns. As our discourse unfolded I was struck by the depth of understanding and deep commitment that developed between us in the production of these absolutely masterful tapestries: there is a magic that was stirred from the depths of human compassion and belief. 

What has been created in the first year of our joyful collaboration is two-thirds of Graces (Thalia and Semele) and one-third of Thesmophoria (Demeter). Working with the master dyers, weavers, and stitchers of the Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos directed by Jaime Ashida has been a wonderful dream come true.

— Chuck Sperry 

II. The Process of Making… 

In June of 2018, I visited Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos in Guadalajara, Mexico with photographer Shaun Roberts. I wanted to meet Jaime and the Taller team to celebrate the completion of our work together for my museum solo “All Access” at Fort Wayne Museum of Art. I wanted to see these beautiful tapestries in person (each in various stages of finish), meet the makers, raise a glass, break bread, and bring Shaun to document the colors and textures of Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos in a series of photographs. What follows is Shaun Roberts’ photographic exposé of the mastery and care in the many stages of the intricate, time-consuming, age-old tapestry making process.

— Chuck Sperry 

III. Voices of The Workshop: A Triptych

Voice 1: “Chuck managed to decipher the capacity of representation and the possibilities of the particular technique of this tapestry workshop. He observed the textures and colors of the tapestries. The colors, in textiles of the kind, are tactile: it is wool and metallic thread, each color consists of three strands of different shades. I imagine that Chuck must have made an association with the textures achieved in screen printing when it is also combined with acrylic paint and mineral pigments, for example. He talked about the depth of colors, about transparencies, that there is no absolute solid colors, and that there is always a kind of unexpected alchemy taking place. The use of the three different strands for each tone, plus the metallic strands, achieved a richer palette that was evident in the textile translated triptych.

“In collaborative relationships with artists, I like to find those who go as far as possible in the use of the technique and its historical dimension.”

Voice 2: “When I first saw the design of what I would have to weave, I worried a little because I had never done something like that before. I noticed that the metallic finishing was working well and I got excited: it looked amazing! The feeling of tightness in the weaving was palpable, when adding the metal to the mixture of colored wool threads, it hardens and fits naturally in the fabric, that is to say: it helps. The experiment turned out very well and I am proud to have passed the test.”

Voice 3: “The women on the triptych look powerful and full of life, Goddess Creators. They reminded me of the representation of an Amazonian female deity: plenty of bright colors and surrounded by nature under her command to pursue the sake of her people and common causes. We chatted with Chuck about the mythic inversion of stories about female deities and how these goddesses were stripped of many of their attributes in the classic accounts of fundamental myths. Chuck seeks to tell those stories differently, depicting divine and powerful women within his oeuvre. When we said goodbye, the last thing he said was: keep fighting the power.”

— Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos

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American artist Chuck Sperry is known for his ethereal and psychedelically saturated screen prints that draw crowds of dedicated fans around the world. He draws inspiration from graffiti, pop art, Symbolism, Art Nouveau and ukiyo-e.

Moving past his early work devoted to subverting the memes of advertising, trash-culture, and comics — he currently imagines a verdant garden of new work tended by his signature shimmering muses, calling this work a “utopian provocation.”

He has been exhibited throughout The United States and internationally for 25 years, including solo shows in New York, London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Athens, Berlin, Zurich, Geneva, Buenos Aires, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

His work has been featured via the Arte Channel, New York Times, Le Parisien, The Guardian (UK), Corriere della Sera, La Repubblica, The Huffington Post, RollingStone, Spin, Architectural Digest, and many more.

He currently lives in San Francisco, California.

Filed Under: Art Prints Tagged With: All Access, All Access Exploring Humanism in the Art of Chuck Sperry, Chthoneon The Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Muses, Semele, The Muses of Chuck Sperry, Widespread Panic

March 14, 2019 By squirt

Widespread Panic, Washington DC 2019

Widespread Panic, Washington DC 2019
30.5 x 21.5
Artist Edition of 100
7 colors on cream paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out-Thank You!

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Widespread Panic, Washington DC 2019
30.5 x 21.5
Gold Edition of 12
7 colors on gold metallic paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out-Thank You!

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Widespread Panic, Washington DC 2019
30.5 x 21.5
Satin Black Edition of 13
7 colors on satin black paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out-Thank You!

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Widespread Panic, Washington DC 2019
30.5 x 21.5
Sparkle Foil Edition of 22
7 colors on holographic sparkle foil paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out-Thank You!

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Widespread Panic, Washington DC 2019
30.5 x 21.5
Lava Foil Edition of 24
7 colors on holographic lava foil paper
Signed and Numbered

Sold Out-Thank You!

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Widespread Panic starts their Spring Tour in Washington DC, three days of amazing music and friends together in The Capitol.

I chose to personify the nation’s capitol as Lady Liberty, hair waving like a flag of freedom, dripping with beautiful, transient cherry blossoms. Let’s call her Lady Liberty because America should always remain an ongoing experiment open to individual interpretation. Let your freak flag fly!

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My new poster will be available at the concerts in DC officially through Widespread Panic. I’ll be making a very limited online release of Artist Edition posters on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at a random time. 

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Find out more about Chuck Sperry’s art – check out his art books here!

I want to welcome a lot of newcomers to my site! I’ll quickly explain how my releases on my website are conducted. The Widespread Panic posters will be available, right here, in this post on Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at a random time. A paypal “Buy Now” button will appear under the poster (above) at a random time, and I will announce the price of the poster at the same time. (There may be additional offers or surprises – perhaps variants – revealed at that random time.) Good luck to everyone, and as always, I am very appreciative of your support!

Filed Under: Rock Posters Tagged With: Chthoneon The Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, Helikon The Muses of Chuck Sperry, Lady Liberty, Muses, Widespread Panic

December 29, 2018 By squirt

“Helikon” & “Chthoneon” The Art of Chuck Sperry

“Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” delves boldly into Sperry’s artistic imagination, inspiration and reasoning, continuing where it’s companion book “Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry” left off. “Chthoneon” collects 22 gorgeously photographed new Sperry screen printed art works paired with the prose or poem — from Aristophanes to Margaret Atwood — that inspired each.

Indeed, dozens of Sperry’s newest art pieces are presented across 136 pages, including an up-to-date collection of his masterfully screen printed wood panel series of contemporary-classical muses — work inspired by the spirit of the modern rock poster, graffiti, and the utopian ethos of 1960’s psychedelia;  his ground-breaking large format handwoven wool tapestries — with a moving photographic journal (by Shaun Roberts) of his visit to Guadalajara to meet the tapestry-makers;  his political posters created for official distribution at the Women’s March and March For Science — wildly successful fund-raisers for Planned Parenthood and science education programs. “Chthoneon” is overflowing with evocative and inspiring new work from one of America’s most popular, outspoken and important contemporary artists.

The reader is offered fresh insight with an extensive interview of Sperry by Spoke Art Gallery curator Dasha Matsuura — first published in Juxtapoz — beautifully illustrated with dozens of Shaun Roberts photos to create an intimate portrait of the artist at work.

Chuck Sperry’s newest book “Chthoneon” celebrates the divine feminine and the regenerative power of nature, gathering together work shown in his first museum solo exhibition “All Access” at Fort Wayne Museum of Art. Foreward by museum Curator of Contemporary Art, Josef Zimmerman:  “Chuck Sperry sees into a world that is unknown to most.”

Published by Hangar 18
Foreward by Josef Zimmerman, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Curator of Contemporary Art
Hardback Second Edition of 1500 / “Silver Edition”
Silver embossed cover (comes shrink-wrapped / not signed or numbered / only sign in-person at events)
9 x 12 inches / 136 pages
75 color illustrations
Printed and bound in the United States
ISBN: 978-0-9981407-3-5

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Published by Hangar 18
Foreward by Josef Zimmerman, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Curator of Contemporary Art
Hardback First Edition of 500 / “Gold Edition”
Gold embossed cover, signed and numbered
9 x 12 inches / 136 pages
75 color illustrations
Printed and bound in the United States
ISBN: 978-0-9981407-2-8

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Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry

“Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry” gathers together Sperry’s masterfully screen printed wood panel series of contemporary-classical muses: work inspired by the spirit of the modern rock poster, graffiti, and the utopian ethos of 1960’s psychedelia.

“Helikon” presents 36 sumptuously photographed Sperrys paired with the prose or poem — from Homer to Nick Cave — that inspired each. Over a  dozen photos by Shaun Roberts give the reader an intimate portrait of the artist at work.

“Helikon” is Sperry’s beautifully designed, hand-bound coda to 5 years of artwork devoted to the perennial theme of Orphic Dionysian mysteries.

Foreward by New York Times’ bestselling author, Charles Bock, Beautiful Children, Alice & Oliver (Random House), and Best of NYC Culture 2016, Village Voice.

Helikon The Muses of Chuck Sperry

Published by Hangar 18
Foreward by Charles Bock
Hardback Second Edition of 2000 / “Silver Edition”
Silver embossed cover (comes shrink-wrapped / not signed or numbered / only sign in-person at events)
9 x 12 inches / 136 pages
54 color illustrations
Printed and bound in the United States
ISBN: 978-0-9981407-1-1

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Photo: Shaun Roberts from “Chthoneon”

“Sperry draws from a deep, classical tradition of storytelling to visualize the famed and obscure characters from mythology. He continues by personifying “Music,” “Justice,” and “Equity” — putting faces on the concepts that seem to inspire his work greatly. Vivid and striking, the works inside Helikon are beautiful on the surface, but combined with the text, both classical and modern, they give insight into the muses that drive Sperry to create.” – Liz Ohanesian, Hi-Fructose, The New Contemporary Art Magazine, vol. 43

“San Francisco artist Chuck Sperry has earned his right in the rock ‘n roll hall of fame….. not for music but for his incredible talent of designing and silkscreen printing distinctive rock posters, he has a slew of famous names that he has worked with and his artwork has been exhibited at some leading art and music institutions. Chuck has honed his craft to perfection, with 20 years of experience behind him.” — Kylie Dexter, Beautiful Bizarre

“In Helikon, the words transport us, allowing us to see Sperry’s work through fresh, yet ancient, eyes. Importantly, they drive from our minds thoughts of the transitory — that Tethys was first introduced to the world as a Dave Matthews poster; that Artemis and Naiad made their debuts before fans of the Black Keys; that Olympia, Daphne, Semele, and Thalia were Panic ladies before they were Sperry’s muses.” — Ben Marks, Wink Books

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Chthoneon, Chthoneon The Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, Helikon, Helikon The Muses of Chuck Sperry

December 11, 2018 By squirt

“The Oracle” & “The Seer” Blotter Art Release & Book Signing, Chuck Sperry at Shakedown Gallery, Haight Street

 

Shakedown Gallery is hosting “Drop The Mics: A Blotter Art Show”.

Join us Saturday, December 15, 2018 for the exclusive San Francisco release of two new Chuck Sperry blotter art pieces – “The Oracle” & “The Seer.” Chuck Sperry will be there in person to sign his books, “Chthoneon, The Art of Chuck Sperry” & “Helikon, The Muses of Chuck Sperry.”

“Drop The Mics: A Blotter Art Show”
Exhibition and pop-up gallery

Shakedown Gallery
411 Haight Street 
San Francisco, California

Exhibition: December 1, 2018 to January 1, 2019

Chuck Sperry blotter release and book signing: 
Saturday, December 15 – 3pm to 6 pm.
Random lottery numbers will be handed out at 2:30 pm, half an hour before the show.

The Oracle
6 x 9
Edition of 150
Perforated blotter sheet
Signed and Numbered

The Seer
6 x 9
Edition of 150
Perforated blotter sheet
Signed and Numbered

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Drop the Mics features an amazing collection of art by some of your favorite psychedelic and visionary artists. The show will feature many signed limited blotter art editions, plus rare archival prints including pieces from Mark McCloud’s notorious Institute of Illegal Images.

New and Pre-Released limited edition artwork will be available from:

Alex Grey, Stanley Mouse, Chuck Sperry
Mark Henson, Emek, Jonathan Singer
David Cooley, Richard Biffle, Sommer Biffle
Mark McCloud, Banjo, Jeff Wood
Mike DuBois, Jonathan Solter, Randal Roberts
Tripp, Sarah Farah, Mikio, William Giese
Lizzy Layne, Bigfoot, Jake Kobrin, Zoltron

Stay tuned to Shakedown Gallery for updates on additional events happening during the month.

Filed Under: Art Prints Tagged With: Alex Grey, Banjo, Bigfoot, Chthoneon The Art of Chuck Sperry, Chuck Sperry, David Cooley, Drop The Mics, EMEK, Helikon The Muses of Chuck Sperry, Jake Kobrin, Jeff Wood, Jonathan Singer, Jonathan Solter, Lizzy Layne, Mark Henson, Mark McCloud, Mike DuBois, Mikio, Randal Roberts, Richard Biffle, Sarah Farah, Shakedown Gallery, Sommer Biffle, Stanley Mouse, The Oracle, The Seer, Tripp, William Giese, Zoltron

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Latest News

  • Sperry’s Widespread Panic “Diana” Poster Wins Poster of the Year 2020
  • Color x Color Second Printing Book Release in USA & EU
  • “Harmonia” Art Print Release
  • Sperry Solo “The World To Come” at Next Door Gallery Geneva
  • Sperry Solo “The World To Come” at l’Oeil Ouvert Gallery Paris

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About Chuck Sperry

squirtChuck 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. Learn More…

Archives

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

Latest Blog Posts

  • Sperry’s Widespread Panic “Diana” Poster Wins Poster of the Year 2020
  • Color x Color Second Printing Book Release in USA & EU
  • “Harmonia” Art Print Release
  • Sperry Solo “The World To Come” at Next Door Gallery Geneva
  • Sperry Solo “The World To Come” at l’Oeil Ouvert Gallery Paris

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