Chris Clark
Chris Clark (born October 25, 1958 in Birmingham; died August 16, 2011 in Ensley) was a fabric artist and painter.
Clark graduated from Ensley High School in 1977 and attended Livingston University for three years before dropping out to join the U.S. Army. After he was discharged in 1988 he returned to Birmingham and worked in a brick factory. He was laid off within two years and began to experience blurred vision. Motivated to fulfill a longstanding desire to draw and paint, he began creating art.
Clark learned to quilt from his grandmother in 1991, but came up with the idea of painting on the quilts by himself. His grandmother scolded him that the colors would run the first time he washed one, but he was undeterred. He also produced hand-painted sculptures, chairs, "ugli sticks" and spirit sticks and crosses decorated with a variety of found objects. His subject matter was often spiritual, including scenes from the Bible and scenes of contemporary church groups. His studio was located at 1430 20th Place Ensley, and later at 21st Street Studios in downtown Birmingham.
Clark's declining vision was later attributed to severe diabetes, and improved after he began treatment. In 2008 Clark experienced a heart attack. In 2010 he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Friends and patrons raised money to buy him a BiPAP breathing machine before he died in 2011.
References
- Gray, Jeremy (September 4, 2010) "Friends rally to help Birmingham folk artist Chris Clark, who needs help with medical bill." The Birmingham News
- Harvey, Alec (August 17, 2011) "Folk artist Chris Clark dies at age 52." The Birmingham News
- Humphreys, Stephen (March 8, 2012) "Instudio: Slow Art at the Museum: Chris Clark." Birmingham Weekly
External link
- Chris Clark website