Chris Crites is a Seattle-based, self-taught artist. He primarily works with acrylic paint and acrylic ink on paper bags and has focused onpainting mug shot photographs since 1999.
Seattle Refined: How long have you been creating? What mediums do you work with?
Crites: Many, many years. My paternal grandmother was a self-taught artist who always encouraged my brother and me to draw when we were children. This was very inspirational for me. My current work, which I have been doing since 1999, is painting mugshot photographs from the 1890s to 1960s in a limited five-or-less color palette on paper bags.
My primary materials are acrylic paint and acrylic ink on paper bags or in the over 50 sketchbooks I have acquired and used over the years. I have every sketchbook I have had since high school.
Can you tell us about your artistic process and how the different stages work into it?
After selecting a mug shot photograph I find intriguing in some way or want to examine in paint, I draw it on a piece of paper bag and paint referencing the black and white photo. Working from dark to light, I replace each value of gray with colors that have been pre-selected while looking at the image. Each color is applied by itself with no over or underpainting, and after all this time, it is still an exciting experiment because until that lightest color is filled in at the end, I have no idea what the overall effect will be. It is rather time-consuming and admittedly obsessive, but it is what works for me.
Tell us about where your inspiration for your art comes from.
Not sure if it is inspiration or obsession. I remember seeing mug shot photos on clipboards at the post office as a child of the FBI’s “Most Wanted” and think it all started there, with a curiosity of who these people were. Later in the 1990s, I came across a book of crime scene photos and mug shots, began working with that imagery and really enjoyed it.
Do you have a specific “beat” you like best – nature, food, profiles, etc.?
Oh yes, old mug shot photos I can work with forever. It is a goldmine of facial landscapes, and most of the time, I don’t know the full story, just a name or booking charge, and I find that endlessly fascinating. A mug shot doesn’t mean the person is necessarily guilty; it just means they have been arrested. Oftentimes, you can see the guilt or defiance, shame or bewilderment on the faces.
Do you have one piece of art that means more to you or is extremely special to you?
Yes. There is a large piece I had painted of a scene in a courthouse in Mexico, “Woman during a criminal investigation.” It was the first time I had attempted a full scene at that scale with several characters in it, and I really loved the original photo but the painting I am very happy with, and it hangs at the end of our hallway between our bedroom and my studio, and I look at it all of the time. It was featured on the cover of “The Stranger” years ago but never sold, and I don’t know if I could part with it now.
What experiences in your life have affected your art the most?
Okay, we’re going to go into “too much information” territory here, but you asked. My grandmother was definitely a big influence and taught me a lot. Also, my brother was one of the most talented and intelligent people I will ever know, so looking at his work over the years, a few collaborations with him really had an effect on me, as well as his suicide. He was a very troubled person and had attempted several times, but when he finally succeeded, it was a shock but not a surprise. Horribly sad. Two more awful experiences followed the next two years that had major effects, but I will leave it there.
If we want to see more of your work, where should we go to find it?
bagpainter.com is my website, which has quite a lot of work on it, and I actually have a show up at Ghost Gallery in Seattle, which is open through Sept. 10.
I am slowly uploading my entire painting portfolio chronologically to an Instagram account called @chris.crites.artist, but so far, it only covers 1999-2006.
What is next for you? Anything you’re working on right now that you’re really excited about?
A couple of group shows and a commission book project will be challenging. Also, I am just excited to keep working! I really didn’t do a lot of art during the pandemic lockdown, so having a lot of fun experimenting and staying busy.
Lastly, how do you take your coffee? (We ask everyone!)
Generally, I don’t. Earl Grey tea, please. I’m way too caffeine-sensitive, and coffee really gets me going.
About ‘Artist of the Week’: This city is packed with artists we love to feature weekly on Seattle Refined! If you have a local artist in mind that you would like to see featured, let us know at hello@seattlerefined.com. And if you’re wondering just what constitutes art, that’s the beauty of it; it’s up to you! See all of our past Artists of the Week in our dedicated section.
