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With no formal art training since grade school, Kentucky native, now Athens, GA resident, Chris Hubbard left a 20 year career
as a scientist (microbiologist and environmental consultant) in 1998 to be "BORN AGAIN" as an artist.
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Heaven and Hell Car is Born
This transformation began with his decision to make an art car and participate in the art car scene
currently spreading around the nation. His driven-daily car, the "HEAVEN AND HELL CAR", is a
lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek expression of the good vs. bad dichotomy of self, other people, and life in general. The
car is decorated with his first attempts at primitve carvings made from found wood, sheet metal, and other objects.
Depicting saints, angels, and devils, these pieces are influenced by his Catholic upbringing and his
deep appreciation of outsider/visionary artists from the south such as R. A. Miller, Howard Finster,
and Edgar Tolson, as well as Latino santos carvings.
Primitive Carvings from Found Materials
After requests from admirers of the art car, he began making more the "Heaven and Hell" carvings and
began to sell them out of his car when travelling around the country to art car festivals and parades.
His work is also now becoming available at various folk art galleries across the country. Being that he collects materials and assembles most of his art while traveling around the USA, he began writing the city and state where he found his materials on the back of each. Chris considers this a documentation of his travels and it adds another unique touch to each piece.
As of April, 2000, Chris' work has become available at several folk art/outsider art galleries ranging from the American Visionary Art Museum Store in Baltimore to several Southeast U.S. galleries and all the way to Taos, N.M. Check out the galleries listing here.
Multimedia and Other Links
Online Catalog/Examples of Artwork
About half of Chris' art is "repeatable". These repeatable works are the main items pictured on the website. The other half of his art is "one of a kind" and generally not repeated. Due to the use of found wood and tin, as well as his intended variations, the repeatable works are never exactly the same. Wood characteristics, rust patterns, paint color, and backgrounds will generally vary from piece to piece. See the example of "SEE NO EVIL..." and "NO GOOD WITHOUT BAD..." and "OUR LADY OF A FEW TOO MANY CROSSES" or "BEAT THE DEVIL" for examples of variation of a repeatable work. I can also make custom "saints" upon request!!
Click Here to See a List of Selected Items by Chris Hubbard
Other "STUFF" About CHUB and the Heaven and Hell Car
2006 Athens, GA band "Push Button" features 4 of Chris' art pieces for cover of album "Close to Final". Push Button website
click image to enlarge2007 May - Orange Show Art Car Weekend, Houston, TX. CHUB and the Heaven and Hell Car award 3rd Place Best Art Car (Judges' choice out of over 250 entries.) 2007 June - Athfest, Athens, GA. CHUB and the Heaven and Hell Car award Best Art Car. 2007 AUG - Kentucky Folk Art Center, Morehead, Ky. The state of Kentucky's folk art museum acquired for it's permanent collection, CHUB's biographical self-portrait, titled "Living in Heaven and Hell".
click image to enlarge2008 May - Southworks Artist Market, Watkinsville, GA. CHUB awarded 3rd Place for his ARTWORK (approx. 60 artists attending). 2008 June - Athfest, Athens, GA. CHUB award 2nd Place for his ARTWORK (approx. 489 artists attending).
Upcoming Appearances
Feb. 18-19, 2012 Fearrington Village Folk Art Show Pittsboro, N.C. March 30-April 1, 2012 Doo-Nanny Seale, Al. ( = Columbus, Ga. area) April 28-29, 2012 Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa Spring Mkt in Athens, Ga. May 5-6, 2012 Finster Fest in Summerville, Ga. May 10-13, 2012 L.E.A.F. (Lake Eden Arts Festival) in Black Mountain, N.C. June 2, 2012 A Day In The Country Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead, Ky. June 14 thru Aug. 11, 2012 "Just Folk" Exhibit by 30 folk artists celebrating what would have been the 100th birthday of R.A. Miller. Quinlan Visual Arts Center in Gainesville, Ga. July 6-7, 2012 "Folk On The Mountain" Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center in Mountain City, Ga. July 20-22, 2012 Artscape in Baltimore, Md. Aug 17 - Sep 30, 2012 "13 Years of Heaven and Hell", Farmington Depot Gallery, Farmington, Ga. A retrospective exhibit of the art and art car of CHUB. Includes art and lots of photos with short stories/captions documenting some of the highlights of the Heaven and Hell Car "experience"! August 2012 Still planning as of 6/8/12... Louisville,Ky. will not do the Ky. Art Car Weekend in 2012...CHUB says "BUMMER...". Sep 1/2, 2012 Artcarpalooza at Art In The Park , Marietta,Ga. Sep 15/16, 2012 Art In The Square, Gainesville, Ga. CHUB will be a "featured guest artist". Oct. 6, 2012 Lake Norman Folk Art Festival By Hickory Museum of Art ; Sherrills Ford, N.C. ( = Hickory N.C. area) Oct. 20-21, 2012 Kentuck Festival of the Arts in Northport, Al. ( = Tuscaloosa area). CHUB is once again a "Guest Folk Artist"!! Nov. 2-4, 2012 Good Folk Fest ; Louisville, Ky. ** GREAT NEWS !! After a brief absence from the folk art scene, this wonderful artists -run festival of self-taught art and primitive/lo-fi music returns to the scene. Dec. 1/2, 2012 Depot Days Holiday Market, Farmington Depot Gallery, Farmington, Ga. Dec. 8, 2012 Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa Holiday Market, Athens, Ga.
NOTE: This list of "Appearances" of CHUB was updated on 08-Jun-2012 and is subject to change- like the weather OR your luck!!- at this point in the year. Updates to follow when possible!
Click here for past appearances...
Contact Information
Chris Hubbard
Phone (706) 559-4737
Mailing address: PO Box 808, Farmington, GA 30638
Physical Address: About 12 miles South of Athens, Ga. on US HWY 441 in Farmington,
Ga. at intersection of HWY 441 and Salem Rd. Turn east onto Salem Rd., go 1/2 block, next door to the fire station ,I live/work in the tin barn/house structure = 1042 Salem Rd. LOOK FOR MY ART CARS!!.
heavenandhellcar@hotmail.com
Note: Due to travels and intermittant computer access, I check my e-mail about every two weeks.
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