We have a new mural at Breakneck Gallery, it’s rad. So is the artist who painted it.

There are a few things you should know about Chad Kimes. He does not like to talk about himself, he hasn’t really thought about making a bucket list, and he likes creepy monsters. Lots and lots of monsters.

Chad Kimes aka the artist CHOD is the man responsible for Breakneck Gallery’s impressive and colorful new mural. CHOD was approached by owners Sean and Kristen Burns because in Kristen’s words, “We wanted to do something different and give Chad the opportunity since he has been such a loyal (not to mention incredibly talented) artist working with us since day one.”  Having never worked on such  a large scale he accepted the challenge and took time this past winter to brainstorm possible ideas for the new mural. When asked about his ideas, he said he knew he wanted the work to represent him but still be eye catching and appropriate for the neighborhood and not too scary. He really likes to paint tentacles so he knew he wanted something with tentacles, but something that would pop and make people want to stop and check out the gallery.

The mural measures 8×20 and Chad painted it in his backyard in a weeks time. He had asked some fellow artist friends who were familiar with mural painting about what type of paint to use and they had recommended using exterior house paint because the mural would better withstand the elements. He said he had to get used to the consistency and using regular house paint brushes. By the end of the project he was able to get comfortable using them and could appreciate using both. He transported the pieces of the mural to the gallery and installed it piece by piece and then made some final touch-ups.

Breakneck and CHOD are celebrating the completion of the new mural this Friday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. A time lapse video showing the making of the mural will be shown and there will be light snacks and refreshments on hand, as well as plenty of art.

Check out the Facebook event invite for more details: https://www.facebook.com/events/363377873785328/

For more info on CHOD, check out his page: http://chodartist.com/home.html