You can probably tell what Californian artist the Bagpainter aka Chris Crites' does, he paints bags. His style is beautifully lithographic, however each and every paper bag is painted with acrylic paints. Drawn to the unique texture of brown paper bags, Crites began experimenting with charcoal and Conté crayons some years ago, and has developed to a full blown and intricate painting method that truly reveals the detail of his chosen subjects. Which again is just as fascinating, the bulk of which features faces from an old black and white book of mug shots. It's strange but at times I feel I recognise the faces, one of which looks a little like David Lynch to me. Asides the convict pieces are a selection of other finely rendered familiar faces such as the British Queen (the monarch not the band) and a particularly menacing looking riot policeman. Plus a few commissions if you'd like your image indelibly rendered on a paper bag. I'm a big fan of his colour palette too, amazing contrasting tones, giving a nod to the potency of street art whilst staying firmly within the boundaries of traditional illustration. Lovely stuff…
If you'd like to see more or commission Chris for a piece visit him at www.bagpainter.com or at his Flickr page.
