Kris Chau: Art & Life
words by Taj Reid

You never know when you’re going to make a new friend. A few months back, my wife and I were doing our Philly rounds on a Friday night. We stopped at Cue to get a couple records and pick up a few magazines. Then, after making the rest of our usual stops, we hit our favorite bakery in Old City. I had a fruit tartlet. Marsha destroyed a piece of chocolate cake. And, while stuffing our faces, we began perusing a few of the magazines we bought. That’s when we met Kris Chau.

Kris, who was working the baked delicacies, also happened to be one of the artists who contributed her work to an advertising design in the latest issue of B.Informed. With great delight, her and her friend picked up the magazine on our table and said, “Check this out! I did the design for this ad.” The art was free-form, abstract and glimmered realism in a manner that was refreshing to see. After looking at the ad, we had a brief discussion and exchanged websites on a napkin.

A few days passed and I came across her website etched on that napkin. I checked out the site and saw more of her work. I couldn’t stop thinking about those drawings. We had to do an interview. Fast forward three weeks, and you have Kris and I sitting in the same bakery chatting it up:

DM: So when did it all start. When did you begin drawing or discover your love for drawing?

KC: I’ve always been drawing. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t. I went to school at California College of Arts and Crafts, which is now the California College of Art in Oakland. But, I’m from Hawaii. I was born and raised there. I moved to San Francisco for five years for school and stuff.

DM: What made you come out to the east coast?