Chrilz

A FEW THINGS ABOUT THE ARTIST

1. What do you do when you’re not making art? (Day job etc...).

When I’m not making art, I work part-time to get by.

2. Why do you make art?

Making art is a vocation for me. Others might describe it as a ‘calling.’ It is what I feel moved to do and the thing I’ve found I have been given to put out in this world. It feels knit to my very soul and something intrinsic to my existence, as needed and natural as breathing or eating.

3. What inspires you?

I am inspired by human nature—our emotions, experiences, relationships, interactions, etc. As an artist I consider myself as the machine, receiving input from without that is processed and becomes output as the art. And because of this, even the smallest building blocks of our existence can inspire me: something as simple as a word or phrase, a color, shape, a melody. It can often take the smallest spark to develop into a full range of ideas.

4. What/who are your influences?

I’m largely influenced by the individuals around me, whether it be those I know and love or even strangers in passing or persons I interact with for just a moment. More recently I have become influenced by our culture and the way it affects and transforms us. Above all I think it is the culmination of life occurring that spurs me into making.

5. If you could meet anyone dead or alive who would it be?

I want to meet Jean-Michel Basquiat. Of all artists, he and his work inspire me above all others. What drew me in about his images only became more invested after discovering his process and life. Maybe the two of us would have nothing in common beyond some of our core principles of art-making but I have no doubt that crossing paths with a maker like Basquiat would be an extraordinary experience.