Trevor Chowning
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Trevor Chowning is an American pop artist known for his extensive use of unique materials and strange objects in his work. Paintings have featured precious metals such as gold or silver leaf, and have included everything from antique hummingbird feathers, genuine diamonds, animal bones and obsolete pieces of NASA spacecraft among other things.


Entertainment career

Before picking up the paintbrush, Chowning worked in the New York City music scene and as a Hollywood talent manager and producer representing
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
's band and MTV celebrities such as Tina Barta. He is widely credited with reviving the career of Cash's band after the singer's death. His TV and film career spans projects such as "Lone Star" for
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, with other projects for
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, and
Doug Liman Douglas Eric Liman (; born July 24, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films '' Swingers'' (1996), '' Go'' (1999), '' The Bourne Identity'' (2002), '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005), '' Jumper'' (2008), '' E ...
of Hypnotic (Director of Swingers, Go, Bourne Identity, Mr. & Mrs. Smith). Chowning acted as casting director for the Victor Buhler film ''Chaperone'', which later won the
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
Director's Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. He presently works as a Producer in film, television and online media with several feature and short films in development and production.


Notable artworks

He was noted in 2007 for his controversial art piece "
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...
Child's Costume" which was originally censored at the World of Wonder gallery but later placed back on exhibit. His "Damien Hearse" homage to
Damien Hirst Damien Steven Hirst (; né Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist and art collector. He was one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingdom's richest ...
was a large model hearse cast in metal and covered with over 3,000 rhinestones. Chowning's 2008 body of work included a silver leafed painting of the
James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...
death car for the "DepARTed" gallery show and a revealing look at Madonna for the "Dial M for Madonna" group show, both in Hollywood, CA. An art show celebrating the American election opened in Los Angeles in October 2008 titled "Hollywood D.C.- Lights, Camera, Election!" and showcased some of his newer work. On January 20, 2009 the artist revealed his Inauguration Portrait of
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
titled "Inspiration". The painting featured an optimistic President Obama in the foreground, with an ethereal
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
laying a guiding hand upon the new leader's shoulder. In the summer of 2013 Chowning was chosen to create the official "Masterpiece Edition: Portland" bottle for
Absolut Vodka Absolut Vodka is a brand of vodka, produced near Åhus, in southern Sweden. Absolut is a part of the French group Pernod Ricard. Pernod Ricard bought Absolut for €5.63 billion in 2008 (equivalent to € in ) from the Swedish state. Absolut ...
. His four-foot tall replica was displayed on the city's waterfront during summer festivities.


Exhibitions

Diesel Jeans of Italy sponsored his three-month solo exhibit at their Portland, OR store. It was Chowning's longest running exhibition to date and featured over a dozen original works, including a
Fabergé egg A Fabergé egg () is a jewelled egg first created by the jewellery firm House of Fabergé, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. As many as 69 Czarist Russia Era eggs were created, of which 61 are currently known to have survived. Virtually all of the ...
replica made from a real Peanut M&M paved in real diamonds and presented beneath a glass dome. His close friend, the actor
Daniel Franzese Daniel Franzese (born May 9, 1978) is an American actor best known for his roles in the films ''Bully (2001 film), Bully'' and ''Mean Girls''. Franzese is the creator of several live comedy shows, including the 2011 rock opera ''Jersey Shoresica ...
has curated several art exhibits in Los Angeles and has included Chowning in every show to date. Franzese's interest in Chowning's art began when the artist gave him a small handmade ornament featuring the likeness of the rapper
Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...


Trademark

Trevor Chowning is the creator and
trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
holder of "¥£$", the combination of monetary symbols for the Yen, British Pound, and United States Dollar features in his artwork in a series of prints and posters. One of his original paintings featuring the slogan utilizes gold leaf for the symbols and is studded with thirty genuine diamonds. As of 2009, Chowning is a supporting artist of th
Aspie Art
project that benefits artists who have
Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and no ...
, a condition on the
autism spectrum Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...
.


Pre-art life

Chowning worked as an A&R representative and studio manager for Antique Boutique Audio in New York City before relocating to Southern California. While with AB Audio he signed former Death Comet Crew founder Shinichi Shimokawa, Grammy Award Nominee
Larry Tee Larry Tee (born October 12, 1959) is a LA-based DJ, club promoter, and music producer who curated the electroclash scene in New York in the early 2000s, and helped launch the careers of such artists as RuPaul, Scissor Sisters, Fischerspooner, Pe ...
, Alexi DeLano among others. He also worked with NASA club founder, Scotto, hosting a weekly night at NYC's club Carbon, the same venue that was hosting
Michael Alig Michael Alig (April 29, 1966 – December 24, 2020) was an American club promoter who was convicted of felony manslaughter. He was one of the ringleaders of the Club Kids, a group of young New York City clubgoers who became a cultural phenomen ...
's club night at the time of his arrest for murder, as depicted in the film '' Party Monster''. He is the Los Angeles liaison for the Indiana Media Industry Network (IMIN), an organization that worked to successfully pass a tax incentive bill to aid filmmakers wishing to shoot in his home state of Indiana. In March 2005 he accompanied actor
Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (; born February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Mikey Walsh in '' The Goonies'' (1985), Billy Tepper in '' Toy Soldiers'' (1991), Dave Morgan in '' Encino Man'' (1992), Daniel Ruettiger in '' Rudy'' ...
, an IMIN supporter, to Indiana where the star spoke at the Statehouse and met with then-Governor
Mitch Daniels Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American Academic administration, academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. A Republican Party (United ...
to gain support for the bill. He works alternately from studios in Indiana and rural Oregon.


References


Sources

*Trevor Chowning official website: http://trevorchowning.com/ *TMZ: http://photos.tmz.com/galleries/hollywood_dc#29094 *Sean Astin official website: https://web.archive.org/web/20080503234415/http://www.seanastin.com/cin05smileprem.htm *World of Wonder, Hollywood DC: http://worldofwonder.net/gallery/hollywooddc/ *Saatchi Gallery UK: http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/artist_profile/Trevor+Chowning/103720. *IMDB Chaperone, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303837/combined


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chowning, Trevor Living people 21st-century American painters American pop artists American talent agents American male painters Year of birth missing (living people)