UP CLOSE WITH CHRIS DEACON

Posted May 6, 2010 by Angus Shafer

Updated May 6, 2010 at 07:45 AM

Chris Deacon is the latest in a line of local artist to present his work in the Urban Outfitters Artist Window.

Here are some words from the artist explaining his installation and art process along with some photos of the window.

Tart: Who are you and what your work is about?

Chris: My name is Chris Deacon and I’m an artist living in Tampa with my wife, Jessica and daughter, Lily.  For several years now, my work has reflected on biographical and cultural memories.  I think of my work like I think of life, a dark comedy.  To me, it is a series of humorous events intertwined with punctuations of tragedy.  More specifically, I find myself interested in a kind of neo-regionalism with a twist of Americana underbelly.  I respond to my surroundings, both past and present.  My process becomes a constant struggle to assimilate where I have been, where I am, and where I am heading.

Tart:Explain your art history and what you do day to day.

Chris:I first started taking art classes at HCC in Ybor City.  Then I transferred to the University of Florida in Gainesville, where I received a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in 1999.  Next, I moved back to Tampa and received my Master’s in Fine Arts from the University of South Florida in 2002.  Over the years, I have done several shows locally and nationally.  I also have two pieces in the contemporary collection at the Tampa Museum of Art.

For the past three years, I have been an instructor for the Art Institute of Tampa.  I currently teach several drawing and sculpting classes for them.  It’s a great job that is a perfect fit for me.  It is very rewarding to be a facilitator for students who want to become artists and designers.

Tart: Explain your artist window.

Chris: The window display that I recently installed at Urban Outfitters is titled “Who Wants Pie?”  Conceptually, I was interested in portraying (on the surface) a southern county fair.  The work is very character driven and started with the idea of a preacher who is constantly running for Jesus.  The piece is intended to be multi-faceted with several open ended questions.  Ultimately, what’s in the pie?

As I was working on the two-dimensional pieces, I wanted to find ways for the work to begin to spill into the viewer’s space.  I wanted also to make the best use of the window’s depth.  I then decided to create cut-outs that would be blocked off of the wall at several different distances.  Additionally, I arranged objects that seemed to fit thematically, such as the hatchet, shovel, and logs.  These objects become a hinge between us and what is on the wall.

Tart: Why Tampa?

Chris: I love Tampa!  I love its beauty and its grit.  I think that Tampa is really starting to experience a growth spurt that I believe will create even more opportunities for artists.  I am really pleased that we finally got the new art museum.  However, I do wish that there were more places to show in Tampa.  I enjoy a grass roots kind of space that is not afraid to show edgy and experimental work.  The Skatepark of Tampa is one of the few right now that is willing to do that.  I miss places like Covivant on Florida Ave.  The shows were always a lot of fun. 

Check out more of Chris’s work at chrisdeacon.com