The Art of Chase

In October 2006, Italian Vogue named Chase one of their favorite artists in the world, amongst Banksy, Shepard Fairey and Space Invader. Since then, Chase has been featured in more than 40 magazines from over six countries, and his client list includes such names as Adidas, Levis, Scion, Acura, Bloomingdales, and Western Union.

As a public service, the Los Angeles-based artist/designer Chase paints free murals around the world depicting young children with text next to them saying, "Remember who you are." The intent of the mural campaign is to inspire people to think back and reconnect with a state of being that we all enjoyed when we were children. A state of being that was filled with joy, truth, love and wonder for the world around us.

And for Chase specifically, that state of being was filled with skateboarding in the streets of Belgium, an outsider activity that was crucial in shaping who he was to become. A colorful character who stumbled upon a spirituality and awareness not by following a suggested path in life, but rather by having created his own path; guided by his sense of adventure and an irreducible element of rascality, Chase implores any and all who will listen: Peace! (Positive Energy Activates Constant Elevation.)

Speaking about the three graphics that he did for Altamont, Chase explains, "The stencil that I used for the "Nothing To It But To Do It" t-shirt is one of my main messages. It's a message that is based on skateboarding, and it's a valuable life lesson. Skateboarding taught me that, and I live by that motto every day. "The Messenger" graphic is one that Andrew Reynolds really liked. It's a collection of the positive quotes. It serves as a reminder, right before you put it on in the morning, so you have a nice thing on your mind for the rest of the day. And I like the way the shirt graphic looks aesthetically. The "We Are All One" graphic is a moment of realization in which patterned eyes lead into the center eye. The moment of impact: When you translate it to skateboarding, it's the moment when you realize if you’re gonna stick the trick or not."

Check out the video that Patrick O’Dell made of Chase at http://vimeo.com/23893119.