A few months ago our employee and team guy, Jay Poirier, asked if we’d be interested in showcasing some work from his high school art teacher: Chris Flanagan. Jay really was really psyched and described how Chris does all kinds of art with skateboards: from close up photos, to hand painted decks, to foam prints.
When Chris brought a few pieces in for us to check out, we were blown away. We are fortunate to have some of this fine work installed (and on display now) in our Providence and Westerly stores.
A skateboarder at heart, Chris hopes to inspire the next generations of creative types. Check out some of the work below along with a brief interview we did with Chris.
And a reminder, all of this work is for sale. Price lists are available at Providence and Westerly.
CHRISTOPHER H. FLANAGAN
401.368.9231
Current Hometown: East Greenwich, R.I.
Occupation: High School Art Teacher
Interests: Art, Photography, Teaching, Music and Parenting
Please tell us a bit about your art background.
BFA in Photography from UMASS Dartmouth.
MFA from Art Institute Boston at Lesley University
“I’ve been creating art since I was a child, I’ve always been driven to create.”
What media do you prefer to work with?
“What ever I have to work with. I’m very interested in materials and what I can do with them. I started as a photographer, but have taken to painting and sculpture. I like to look at materials and figure out what I can do with them. To translate them and transcend their original purpose.”
How did you become involved with skateboarding?
“I started skating when I was 15, way back in the day. I stopped for a long time but the ideals and ethics of skating always stayed with me. I took the idea of what can I do with this or how can I make it my own. Just to be creative and unique and make things my own, that’s very much what skateboarding is or should be about.”
How did you get to know Jay Poirier?
“I got to know Jay because he was in an art class I teach at the High School he went to. I always heard from other students about how rad he was as a skater and it wasn’t until I saw him in “Portfolio” that I saw for myself. He’s one of my favorite skaters, so much power and he is so original. I got to know him more from visiting him at Civil Providence; he collected old boards for me that went into several of my latest projects. He was always super cool to my kids when we went in.”
How are you involved in the local art/skate community
“I try to have art shows around and I work with a gallery in North Attleboro to promote the arts there. I work with my students a lot putting together art shows with them. Now that my younger son is getting older I will have more time to dedicate to working with art. For the skate community, I just watch and admire what these guys are doing. So many of them are so rad, along with Jay, I would say Justin Souliere and Justin Healey are freaking amazing, so much style.”
How would you like to be involved in the community at Civil?
“I went to Civil EG when I moved there and wanted to check it out. I got my older son a board then I wanted one. Everyone there has been so friendly and nice. Guido has been super helpful and supportive. When I approached him with some of the art I had been doing he was stoked and offered to hang some of it. Then Rob took it to the next level with the Westerly and Providence store. I always see guys in skating doing other creative stuff and I want to help facilitate a way for them to show their work in supportive venue. I proposed and idea of having a rotating gallery wall at the Providence shop, kind of like the extension gallery at Orchard. People could submit artwork it would be curated and hung in the PVD store. The show would change every three months and hopefully would keep growing. I would ideally love to put together a bigger show at a gallery featuring art inspired by skating, but this seems like a good first step and will hopefully grow into that.”
Anything else you want people to know about you/your work.
“I’m a total dad, my kids and wife are the best. Guido, Jay, Justin and Matt have been so cool to my kids it makes me what to help and support what Civil is doing. It’s sad to say but I just want to nail a kick flip, that’s what I’ll be working on this summer.”
Artist Statement:
“I have spent a large part of my adult life moving around and I feel my artwork is a reflection of frequently packing my things into boxes and moving them. Boxes have come to symbolize “stuff”, my stuff, physical stuff and mental stuff, what ever I have. Art making becomes a way for me to organize to visual and mental clutter in my life.
This series of artworks are abstractions of ideas related to experience, current or past. The economy of information, underlying structure and symmetry in these images creates a meditative quality. I want the work to gradually unfold over the time of the viewer’s engagement allowing the viewer to explore and interact with the images.
So you could say I’m a minimalist at heart and with my art I can pack up all the stuff so I don’t have to look at it.”
Artwork currently on display at our Providence and Westerly locations. Click here to view the artist’s website or contact us for pricing & availability on specific works.
