Painting first in-studio painting; “St. Alice of Portland" 2020, approx 64x99", Acrylic on Unstretched Canvas

SOLD ~ IN PRIVATE COLLECTION

ARTIST STATEMENT

I create art to translate how I perceive the world. Through the use oil paint on canvas and sometimes acrylic paint for indoor and outdoor murals, I use select compositions, dream-like and surrealist imagery, psychedelic and magical subject matter with unique color palettes, which evoke senses of nostalgia, magic, dreams and other realities. Which I believe exist in waking life and I see in my world and help you discover them as well.

What we perceive is only what we have collectively agreed upon. There are infinite number of different existing realities and this life is merely a dream. It is my duty and mission to show and help you remember this. I choose to see life this way as I express and communicate my thoughts, emotions and ideas symbolically onto the canvas into my own unique surreal and dreamlike world that exists for me and I hope to open the door to invite others in to see and join it as well.

I experience making art as a way to dive into my subconscious and imagination, swim around for a while and then changing and transforming my existing reality. I then reflect back more of my greater self to me and you. When visiting there I take snapshots from that magical reality, bring forth information and translate it visually through my art for all to see, feel and learn from as well.

My mission in creating art is to remind you that life really is just a dream and that anything is possible.

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“When I was halfway through my first in-studio painting, St. Alice of Portland, essentially learning how to actually paint, which took me a year to do, I almost gave up, but I heard an audible voice that wasn’t me and it said; Keep Going.”

-Chris Bigalke, 2019, Boise, Idaho

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BIOGRAPHY

Chris Bigalke is a self-taught fine artist, painter, muralist and digital artist creating surrealistic paintings and digital artworks in the styles of magical and pop-surrealism.

Born and raised in the surf and sand of Southern California on Hi-C Fruit Punch and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, he was glued to cartoons and video games as an adolescent. For as long as he can remember he has been drawing and making art. Time was spent either in the ocean, skateboarding or practicing drawing characters from movies, cartoons and video games like Super Mario Bros., DuckTales and Star Wars. Some of the first fine artists he saw and was forever vividly enamored and inspired by as a child were Salvador Dalí, Van Gogh and Vermeer. 

     When he was young he had an epiphany he wanted to be an artist when he grew up. He ran to his father to exclaim his excitement and his father laughed and shook his head and told him he couldn’t be an artist because he wouldn’t make any money. Instead of carrying the defeating soul-crushing news he continued to make art and prove him and everyone else wrong who said he couldn’t do it. Now he and his father laugh because they both know if you never give up you can do anything. This same motivation that pushed him to keep making art is only bigger now and the flames grow to excel and get better to see what he is capable of.

     He first picked up a brush and started experimenting with painting in college in Santa Barbara, California at the age of 20. After a visit to his next door neighbors apartment one day he saw a large and beautiful abstract painting on the wall they said they found at a thrift store. Being mesmerized by both the painting and the idea that someone would hang up a painting they found in their home at this moment he was compelled to try to paint. He knew he could paint something just as good if not better and then bought some acrylic paints, brushes and canvas and was able to recreate a similar abstract painting. From there in his early 20s he started painting very amateur surrealist abstract paintings. His very first original painting of brightly colored abstract fish sold on eBay for $80 in 2002. Although the following paintings were very amateurish, he went on to have a handful of small café and wine bar art shows and sold a few paintings. During this time he was mesmerized and inspired by accomplished pop-surrealist painters of the time like The Clayton Brothers, Joe Sorren and Mark Ryden.

     In August of 2006 he moved to Portland, Oregon with the intention of painting, but got caught up in the party and music scene and abandoned any ideas of painting or making art. Luckily years later, while working as a music promoter booking bands at a small live music venue, he chose to take on the task of designing posters on the house for the shows even though there was no budget for it. After designing a couple hundred crude digital posters using Photoshop, a surrealist style of art featuring a unique and vibrant pastel color palette began to emerge. Local bands took notice and asked him to design posters for shows at other venues. During this time the design moniker Showdeer was born. At one point after being fired from a day job he was homeless living in a tent in his friend’s backyard for a few months while hanging out at Burgerville or the local bar Billy Ray’s Tavern to use their internet and create art all day. After creating hundreds of poster designs after a few years he was able to quit his regular day job in 2013 of booking bands and music promotion and fully support himself by making art.

     In the fall of 2016 after designing posters for countless local bands and really solidifying himself as a known poster designer in the local Portland and Pacific Northwest area, with a design style featuring a mix of collage, illustration and layers and textures using Photoshop, he decided to create two new posters and send a cold call email to the manager of the indie rock band Wilco. To his surprise, the manager responded quickly and was interested in using one of the posters for an upcoming Wilco date in Brussels, Belgium. The manager then requested two more designs for Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark.

     Shortly after Wilco shared the Brussels poster of a surreal milk carton/guitar amp on their Instagram, the operations manager of a new brewery in NW Portland named Sasquatch Brewing saw it and asked if he’d be interested in painting a large-scale mural at their new location. Although there was excitement there was hesitation, because of the years of lack of painting. The mural with help from a friend was completed on time and what appeared from the hard work on this large-scale project was a painterly “Showdeer” style of painting. After painting a handful more of large-scale surrealist murals for local Pacific Northwest breweries, designing and drawing a range of new posters for national and well-known bands like Wilco, Mudhoney, Guided By Voices and Built To Spill, and after a twelve year stint in Portland and the party music scene, he packed up and decided to move to Boise, Idaho in 2018 for some fresh air and a new perspective.

     In Boise he was able to clear his mind and focus dedicating himself to painting consistently in-studio in 2019. It was during this time taking a full year to really learn more about painting and work on and finish his first proper legitimate in-studio painting titled; “St. Alice of Portland” (SOLD). The painting immediately sold to a collector of fine art for $12,000. In 2020 during the COVID pandemic he started painting; “St. Alice of Portland Pt. II” (currently only available painting) which was completed in 2021. After a couple years, having a clear mind and keeping the positive momentum going, he moved back to Portland where he rented his first large art studio and completed his third painting a diptych titled; “Moments” (SOLD) which was also featured at Art Basel 2022.

In December 2022 he found the first painting he started years ago in 2017 before “St. Alice of Portland” featuring a deer sleeping on the ground and decided to learn what he always wanted to which was oil painting and finish the painting in oils. He spent all of 2023 learning how to paint in oils which he picked up and took to very naturally and got to work on what is now his fourth painting titled; “Dreamers” (SOLD). Which sold again immediately to an art collector for a large sum. Painting in oils felt like a calling to him and what he is supposed to do.

     Bigalke now currently resides and works in his art studio in Los Angeles, California giving his full focus and attention to his passion of oil painting, as well as creating digital design artwork under the moniker Showdeer. He continues to push himself to see what he is capable of in all art forms, but oil painting is what he loves most.

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CV

ACCOLADES

  • In the esteemed collections of Cozomo Medici, Mark Cuban, Keith Grossman (President of TIME Magazine / Moonpay) and Dio Sumagaysay

GALLERY SHOWS / EVENTS

INTERVIEWS

FEATURED

Art For Breakfast

ArtMazeMag

Artwork Gallery Magazine

Beautiful Bizarre Magazine

bePortland

Create! Magazine

The Drainage

The Guardian

Fresh Paint Magazine

Midwestern Gothic (cover & back)

Music Gigs Gone Wrong (cover)

NFT Culture

Noise & Color Magazine

Oregon Music News

Perceptions Magazine of The Arts

Portland Mercury (cover)

Portland Mercury’s VISITORS’ GUIDE to PORTLAND (cover)

Rock Poster Art

The Short Lives of Lobsters (cover)

Shrill (Hulu TV show)

Society6

Society6 Art Quarterly

Society6 Artist Quarterly (cover)

The Tax Collection

Thrasher Magazine

TIMEpieces

TIME MAGAZINE

Up Nights (uncredited)

Vortex Magazine (cover)

Warp (cover)

PRESS

• “Dreamers” by Chris Bigalke @chrisbigalke is fiercely magical!” - Beautiful Bizarre Magazine

• “I love that your style is so distinct and unique that 1. I notice it and know its you immediately when it crosses my feed. and 2. It nearly impossible to copy which makes your art even more special.” - Mal at NFT CULTURE

• "Featuring saturated grainy colors and outlandish imagery that combines Andy Warhol with the Surrealists, Bigalke’s concert posters belong in a museum. Everything from banjo-strumming bears to wizened carrots play out their alternative scene dreams on his work.” - Mackenzie Patel, LearnTravelArt.com

• "Bigalke has developed a distinctive style that layers vintage imagery to create texture and depth in scenes that cast a pale glow due to his habitual use of a faded color palette…Frequently featuring illustrated animals and antique personages, oceanic or forested environs, and it wouldn't be rock and roll without a skeleton every once in a while, Bigalke’s cohesive collages feel earthly but abstract, legible yet a potpourri of mashed together elements. Whether designing for the Red Bull Sound Select series or countless bands and venues near and far, there’s always an organic flow to his work born of his background in drawing and painting with oils and acrylics.” - Chris Young, Vortex Music Magazine

• Mention in the Portland Mercury: "It all totally works, and Rare Monk are skilled at putting these disparate elements together, while offering something dance-floor friendly to boot. Produced by Skyler Norwood and with striking cover artwork by Chris Bigalke, Sleep/Attack is not just the first full-length album from Rare Monk, but the announcement of their arrival as a fully loaded Swiss-army knife of a band, capable of most anything you’d need ‘em to do.“ - NED LANNAMANN

• "Lauded LA band White Arrows will be back in Portland this Friday night to play Bunk Bar, courtesy of Portland’s creative powerhouse Showdeer (owned and operated by Chris Bigalke) and the multi-platform initiative ReThinkPopMusic. Together, the two companies have collaborated on seven upcoming free (with RSVP) local summer shows where folks can experience amazing music and also enter to win two MusicFestNW VIP tickets at each event!” - Deena Anreise, OregonMusicNews.com

• Mention in The Guardian: “Independent record stores thrive in this city; Crossroads Music (3130 SE Hawthorne, xro.com) also sells beautiful collectible gig posters by Portland artist Chris Bigalke.” - Sophie Cook, ‘Ocean drive: a road trip around Portland, Oregon

•  Listed #1 on ehow article for Star Wars / Society6 project: “Artist Chris Bigalke grew up with Star Wars, and the movies were everything. "I remember going to Disneyland and the only souvenirs I wanted were The Art of Star Wars books," Bigalke tells Society6. "I would be in amazement of the incredible drawings in there and [I'd] practice redrawing them over and over again!" Bigalke, a self-taught painter, muralist, illustrator and graphic artist, created this bright and whimsical R2-D2. When reached for comment, R2-D2 said "beep bloop beep boop" and was in awe of his likeness (we assume).” - Cathy Taylor, ehow

• Blogtown’s (Inaugural) Poster of the Week - Feb 8, 2012 - “To kick things off, I’ll throw down the Stumptown gauntlet with this excellent poster by local artist Chris Bigalke.” - Courtney Ferguson, Portland Mercury

• Blogtown’s Poster of the Week - June 6, 2012 - “I was trying not to double up , but this poster from Chris Bigalke of Showdeer Presents is just too damned beautiful to disqualify. Right?” - Courtney Ferguson, Portland Mercury

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Painting first oil painting; ‘Dreamers’ 2024
Oil on Unstretched Canvas, approx. 54x85 inches - SOLD