Biography
Chris Spollen lives with his wife and son on Staten Island, at the entrance to New York Harbor. He takes slow, quiet walks on the beach, which often lead to the discovery of materials for his work—treasures from the sea—which might take their places among the many other objects that will be repurposed for use in his imaginative three-dimensional creations.
Over the past thirty years, as Spollen has developed into an award-winning illustrator, his art has evolved from work with traditional materials on paper, to printmaking, to his current love for creating evocative digital mixed media projects that reflect his love for the sea and, for flying machines, robots, “steam punk” culture, and the tin toys of an earlier era.
Spollen is also an adjunct Associate Professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City where he urges students to work with their hands and their hearts as well as with their computers. He says he “feels privileged to help to stimulate and motivate students. It is a pure joy to be working with the unbridled, passionate young creatives of the next generation. What a wonderful and magical time it is to be making art.”