Chris Anway is a bad ass, straight up! He is not your average sit at home, meditate and paint type of artist. When I walked in Chris was blasting a fat Bay Bridge back piece on this dude with sharks swimming in the water. I must say I was jealous. Before we got down to business we decided to take a walk to a local hole in the wall known as Mutiny in downtown Antioch for a shot and a beer. Little did I know this walk would be a mash up of Deliverance meets Stand By Me. Along the train tracks we traveled with his Pitbull Die leading the way. We hit all topics from ex’s going through your email, the clap and the water beetle vs. the cockroach.

“I mean why sugar coat it, it’s a damn cockroach, it’s not a really big mouse it’s a fucking rat”

We saw an abandoned house that once had a pier leading to it but now was dilapidated and only accessible by row boat, but still managed to provide shelter to some as it sat about 40 yards off shore and about 6 feet off the water. Then we took a moment to acknowledge “Rocky” a raccoon carcass we found cleanly severed in half.

“Rocky Raccoon just got took out sad to say by Casey Jones you know driving that train, well that’s how it goes down here by the water catfish and hard times.”

But not always Chris has made a strong name for himself around the globe slinging paint and ink on canvases and humans alike worldwide. From the West Coast of Northern California to the Far East Chris handles his business. Whether he paints for the Lord or Ben Franklin, the dude makes it happen.

“Well I’m just trying to fucking live, live comfortably with my mind fueling the resources”.

Chris’ mind goes that’s for sure, his paintings and tattoo’s are impossible to classify or group into any particular category.

“My style is random, completely random. Sometimes photo realism to just whatever I’m dreaming of, naked ladies, phone booths, hot rods, and a yeah tidal waves……I like to work with oils, acrylics, flesh, skateboard decks whatever.”

Chris did some design work for a surfboard company in the Philippines and managed to Tat some locals along the way.

“I was all over South East Asia and the Philippines just getting down fucking around having a good time working for this surfboard company and hanging out with random militant groups. Good times, good friends.”

Chris has been slinging ink for 12 plus years. He won consecutive awards for best black and grey tattoo at the east bay tattoo expo in Northern Ca. (07-08)

“Yeah the Hells Angels gave that one to me. It was nice one year I wasn’t even in the country and I won, so someone entered their tattoo and I wasn’t even there to collect the trophy. It was kinda nice to hear on the telephone from Manila that I won.”

Nowadays Chris can be found keeping it local mainly working freelance.

“I do work at a tattoo shop occasionally over at Diablo Ink because the owner is a good friend of mine, but most of the time I tend to play hooky and just paint and enjoy my life. Just because you’re not in the phonebook doesn’t mean you’re not doing anything ya know.”

Chris is also a giving man doing work for various battered women’s charities including STAND and for the Leukemia Society. He also has a hand painted surfboard going up for auction at the May 30th save the waves fundraiser in San Francisco.

“Yeah should be awesome its a little mixed media some paint, spray paint, come check it out”.

When Chris isn’t painting, designing decks for Legends skateboards, or doing art for such bands as RU36 and Futures End (who ripped him off) he can be found out and about raising hell, there was a rumor that he once laid out Andy Dick in a bar.

“Andy Dick once offered to give me a handjob and pay me 1500 bucks, so I punched him. Thats a true story, I punched him in a bar after I had saved him from getting punched. He was doing blow with a friend of mine in a bathroom and paparazzi was leaning over the stall taking pictures so I choked out the paparazzi because he was about to hit my friend. Andy Dick asked why I did it and decided he loved me and was buying me drinks and it got a little hairy when he offered to give me a hand job and tried to kiss me so I popped him in the face. His glasses fell off he said “that’s alright” about eight times and I walked out of the building. He actually told me I could post some artwork in his gallery in Beverley Hills called the Black Box Theater and I called him up on it. I actually still took him up on his offer after I punched him in the face. He wouldn’t talk to me and put me in touch with his agent. Then he told me he would let me show all my stuff but I would have to give him an original piece. I thought to myself I shoulda took his 1500 bucks and beat his ass.”

Probably should of which got me thinking can I get sued for this.

“Fuck Andy Dick if he tries to sue you I’ll just put him on blast.”

I think we just did, Christopher Anway everybody. Youtube, Google, now!