Boogie Bird
Copyright © 2010, Chor Boogie
It was 9pm on a Friday in San Francisco, cold and rainy. It’s not the kind of night when it’s particularly fun to be out, but that didn’t seem to stop dozens from braving the elements to catch sight of a rare species unique to this area — the Boogie Bird.
Boogie Birds show up in unexpected places, but the best spot to see a group of them on this night was at the Air Castle Gallery on Steiner St. in the heart of the Fillmore. As a DJ filled the background with a gentle but pulsing vibe and singer Irina Mikhailova chirruped along, artist Chor Boogie glided amongst his eponymous creations. All around him, Boogie Birds perched on every wall and beam of the tidy single-room space.
The two things that make Boogie Birds special are their size and how they are created, in this case using aerosol paint, the kind usually reserved for huge canvases or expansive outdoor spaces. At two inches by two inches (in most cases), these round little avifauna are perhaps the smallest precision paintings done with spray paint anywhere in the world today.
In many ways, the little birds (which are a curious cross between a penguin, a hummingbird, and a dodo) offer an insightful glimpse into the psyche of their creator. Chor Boogie, born Jason Hailey in Oceanside, California, is just as agreeable in style and personality. But when it comes to his work, the 31 year old San Francisco-based spray paint artist is serious about leading the way to bringing the full legitimacy of fine art to his chosen medium.
Chor discovered art at the age of five when, with paint brush in hand, he declared to his kindergarten teacher, “When I grow up I am going to be an artist.“ He drew his first meaningful inspiration, though, from seeing wall art on aqueducts and other structures near his boyhood home. Immediately recognizing the seriousness of the work, and able to distinguish art from regular graffiti, Chor set about to follow the more artistic roots of what he saw.
But it hasn’t always been an easy road. And with society’s uneven impression of spray paint art, sometimes it’s been an uphill struggle.
“My first painting was actually in my bedroom,” recalled Chor in a recent conversation. “My father wasn’t going to let me go out there and do stuff like that, so my parents let me paint on the wall of my room. That’s where my first creation came out.”
From there, Chor set out on a path of self-study that included not just contemporary masters, including street artists such as PHASE 2, Vulcan, and Apex, but also fine art masters including Gustav Klimt, Michelangelo, and Salvador Dali.
“With Gustav Klimt, I like his composition and the way you can see the feeling in his work,” explained Chor. “And I like the way he used gold, real gold, and silver. While I don’t use real gold or silver, I do use gold, silver, bronze, copper and other metallic spray paints, which illuminate skin tones.”
In fact, it’s Chor’s use of a hyper-extensive palette that begins to set him apart from his contemporaries. “There aren’t really that many spray paint artists out there that use lots of colors,” noted Chor.
Chor uses the term color therapy to describe his philosophy and approach to color in his paintings. “We’re surrounded by color on a daily basis, we live with color,” explained Chor. “And color can have healing attributes. So every day we’re getting healed as we walk, whatever we see, whatever we look at color-wise.”
Chor also draws attention for his particular technique, specifically holding the can upside-down as he paints, releasing ultra-fine and minute sprays.
“This technique helps me add really fine, hard-to-do detail,” explained Chor. That, combined with a laser-like focus on cleanliness and precision has been at least partially responsible for most of the recent buzz surrounding his work.
In addition to the art he sees around him, Chor also draws particular inspiration from music, especially as he paints. In fact, his moniker comes from these two worlds. “I’ve had the name for almost two decades now,” recalled Chor. “Chor came first (originally spelled Chore) because, pretty much, this is my chore and I love to do it.”
The Boogie refers to the dance that emotionally appears in much of his work. “My art to me is like a melodic symphony,” noted Chor. “And the melodic symphony of an emotional landscape is color therapy, which is the boogie part. So now you have Chor Boogie.”
Catchy name aside, Chor Boogie has some serious goals for his art, part of which involves generating the respect that he feels spray paint art deserves. “I’ve tried them all, but there’s something about spray paint,” explained Chor. “It just grabs a hold of you, once you get into it.”
“The other media have been around for centuries, but spray paint is like a baby, the newest one,” concluded Chor. “So it’s basically time to start fresh and do something new.”
Plan Your Visit
You can catch Chor Boogie’s latest exhibition Boogie Birds at the Air Castle Gallery from Friday, January 29th to Sunday, February 28th.
Air Castle Gallery
1706 Steiner Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
About Chor Boogie
You can learn more about Chor and keep up with his latest projects at:
Web site: www.chorboogie.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CHORBOOGIE01
Twitter: twitter.com/ChorBoogie