Chris DeLorenzo Mural
September 2018
ALL THAT EMPTY SPACE
In early August a community vote was held to determine the next piece of public art at Zone 3. The winning design, by illustrator and designer, Chris DeLorenzo was installed on the side of the PRX podcast garage in September.
Chris DeLorenzo was born and raised in a charming town in northeast Massachusetts with a good school system and a great roast beef joint. His grandmother drove him to art lessons every week and tried to create landscapes but soon found love in comic books and skateboard art. He loved the process of creating imagery and had the enthusiasm to continue peruising art throughout his life. Chris now runs his own illustration business creating murals, advertising campaigns, animations, branding and more.
Chris believes every form can be a portal to communicating a deeper meaning of the world around us. With a simple manipulation of shapes and lines, Chris hopes he can tickle a spot in the back of one’s mind that finds a connection they didn’t see before. Besides drawing, he is a nature enthusiast, amateur bird watcher and film nerd. If he’s not in the studio, he’s usually in the park playing with his pug, Ramona.
Q&A WITH THE ARTIST
Tell us a little about your background and training?
I’ve been freelance illustrating for about 2 and a half years now. Before that I cut my teeth creating t-shirt graphics, posters, apparel designs, packagings, store fixtures and even some neon signs clothing company for 5 years. I went to school for design and art direction at Syracuse University and had a brief stint at an advertising company in New York City after I graduated. I realized that I missed the hands on experience of making art and pushed myself to create in my spare time to eventual become full time.
How did you get started doing murals?
It’s kind of crazy how many murals I have done in the past year and half. I got commissioned to do one mural and then from there I just kept getting asked to do more murals. You get hired for the work you show and since I didn’t have any murals before, nobody hired me for them. It took someone to see the potential of my work on a large scale that really set the ball in motion.
What influences your work?
It’s cliché to say that everything influences my work, but I’m always looking for new inspiration and new ideas in the world around me, from driving by a person on the street doing something mundane but maybe there’s opening to make it compositionally interesting. It’s just how my brain works. I try to find an image where people and ideas come together through unexpected relationships in form and lines.
Who are a few of your favorite artists?
Milton Glaser, Saul Steinberg, Cleon Peterson
What is the process that goes into YOUR ILLUSTRATIONS?
Think, sketch, revise, doubt, finalize, submit, doubt.
What do you do when you hit a creative roadblock?
I like to go hiking and clear my head. I like to go on weekend trips anywhere I can. Being in the northeast it’s easy to just drive 3-5 hours in any direction and feel distant and refreshed. If I can’t do that, I’ll just take my dog for a long walk. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have a glass of whiskey.
Where else can people find your work?
I’ve got three murals at Target’s around the area. One in Cambridge Square, one in Roslindale and one will be in Porter Square soon. I have a mural at Earl’s restaurant in the Prudential Center. Warby Parker in Harvard Square. And one very rare one at the Marriot Courtyard by North Station, but you have to stay in a room to see it. But if you’re not in Boston, you can always find my work on instagram @chridelorenzo
What time of day do you work best?
I love the mornings, waking up while everything is still quiet and earth feels like it hasn’t started moving yet.
What are some of your future plans?
I hope to do more art shows in the future and be involved in teaching in some capacity. I would love to design sneakers or create some sort of lasting piece for the city of Boston. But I also just want to have a house with some land and a barn I convert into a studio and have a nice little family.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT LIVING IN BOSTON?
The ability to remove yourself easily.
