Chris Vance
4/5/2023
“No Action Too Small,” commissioned by Metro Waste Authority for their East Village office at 300 E. Locust St.
Artist Chris Vance sits casually on a paint-stained stool, wearing a black Metallica T-shirt and torn jeans, among tall walls, including dozens of half-started paintings. He points to his reserve paintings hidden behind a thick blanket yet won’t reveal his work until his exhibit opens at Moberg Gallery.
Vance’s 25-year art career has evolved over the years, initially with nods to graffiti, Beavis & Butthead and skateboard influences. A popular mural located at 300 E. Locust in Des Moines portrays almost alien-like characters.
As he’s gotten older, his work has matured.
“I’m like a jazz musician. I try to slow down and make strategic moves,” he said. “I’m showing more negative space and letting things breathe.”
He went to Iowa State University for an architect program and admitted his GPA wasn’t the highest. He liked drafting by hand; however, the program was just switching to computers.
Chris Vance in his studio at Mainframe Studios. Photo by Jackie Wilson
“I called my dad and told him I was switching majors,” he recalled. “My dad said it was dumb. I would never make money, and it was silly to do art.”
Determined, his brain switched and he wanted to prove that art was a valid career. With what he called an “ADHD brain,” he outworked everyone in college.
“If the professor asked for two pieces of work, I showed up with eight. The professors might give me at least one good grade.”
He discovered a workaholic attitude helped his art progress faster. After graduating from ISU in 2000, he joined the Paintpushers, an artist group that critiques and supports other artists. Paintpushers put on a show at Kirkwood Hotel, which spring-boarded his career.
He was noticed by a gallery and traveled to various juried art festivals.
“Once I decided I could do this, I go all the way in. It’s not sipping coffee and talking about it. It’s learning and working 70 hours a week,” he reflected.
“Back and Forth”
His artwork bounces from character work to abstract.
“People ask how I do both. I get bored if I do the same thing.”
He recently moved to Mainframe Studios, where his studio is more conducive to spray paint. As Vance approaches a canvas, his mind is open.
“I make new artwork in the moment. When I’m done, I think, ‘Damn, it’s the best piece I’ve made.’ Then later I get another one done, and I think that’s the best.”
His teenage son, Colton, is doing art, too, and the pair are collaborating for the upcoming show. He gives his son room to grow, along with some advice.
“People see your art and they see success. They don’t see the stack of rejection letters. It’s the hustle. You have to have a thick skin. Badass work sells. It’s putting hours in the studio — it’s either five or 50, but it’s 10 times better if you’re working 50 hours.”
At age 47, Vance said his goal is to continue pushing himself.
“It might be arrogant or cockiness, as my wife says. I told the gallery I’m on fire. If I make something, I can’t stop staring at it. I have an emotional attachment that I did my job and now people want my work in their home.”
The public is invited to attend Vance’s gallery showing and reception, “Moderate Restraint,” on April 7 at Moberg Gallery in Des Moines. ♦
