Sideshow Gallery 26

 Figurative Art and Automata

"Over the years we have heard the words "nightmarish", "disturbing" and "frightening" in reference to our work, which is always surprising because to us they look just like the friendly folks in our dreams, only less scary."

Chris Chomick was born 1954 in Burnaby, B.C. Canada. Her childhood was filled with drawing, sculpting and craft projects through which she would make dolls and toys for friends and family, often sacrificing her own toys. Her mother once found her with a handsaw "redesigning" one of her baby dolls for yet another project. She went on to trade school to study Commercial Arts which led to a career as an advertising Production Artist. She later turned to drawing, painting and soft sculpture as forms of artistic expression, eventually discovering polymer clays and the world of figurative art.

Peter Meder was born 1952 in Chicago, Illinois and during his childhood, lived briefly in Würzburg, Germany. As a child, Peter was fascinated with window displays, puppets, magic, stop motion animation and was always being reprimanded for taking his toys apart. When he was ten years old he made his first Automaton, a Strongman, carved from a cork and clothed in an outfit he had sewn from an old sock. It was powered by a motor he constructed using a rubber band, a spool, piece of wax, and a few toothpicks. He later attended Loyola University in Chicago, graduating with degrees in Fine Art and Communication, which eventually led him to a profession as a Model Maker, creating special effects for national television commercials, one of the first being an animated puppet for Dutch Boy Paints.

Chris and Peter met in 1978, while working as clerks in an art supply store in the Chicago loop and immediately began working together on various projects, combining the knowledge and strengths of their different art backgrounds (film and print) to create a unique form of Figurative Art and Automata. Their artwork has been sold throughout the US and internationally, Richard Simmons and Demi Moore are among their collectors.

"We have this attraction to things that are beautiful but disturbing; things that you might find intriguing, yet are repulsed by."

Drawn to the "strange and odd", they are always on the lookout for new and stimulating ways to express their artistic vision. Chris recently introduced Sideshow Art to their growing family of "characters" including : the Strange and Unusual PuppetHead man ~ the Amazing Manbeast, a true FREAK of NATURE! Pretty Polly--she was Born Without A Body! among others.

"I have always been fascinated by Sideshow art, so much so that I begun creating an imaginary Sideshow, with "entertainers" of my own design. I work with black+white woodcut royalty-free images which I scan and assemble in multiple layers to create a digital montage of the Sideshow performer and then digitally add colour and textures. My "rule" is to use only what I can find and create characters from bits and pieces in a Frankenstein sort of way. It is very challenging and a lot of fun."

Chris and Peter currently live in sunny St. Petersburg, Florida, next to a cemetery.
 

P

P

P

Posted here with the permission of CHOMICK+MEDER © Copyright 2005

No artwork may be reproduced, reposted or used in any manner except that of viewing without the express written permission of Sideshow World^TM or the copyright holder.   If you would like to be include in our sideshow art gallery please drop us a line

<<<< 25 Gallery     Return To Top     Back To Sideshow Art Gallery   Back To Main    Gallery 27 >>>>