Christopher Gorman : musician, artist, illustrator, photographer, children’s book author, surfer, peanut butter enthusiast
Chris graduated from Clark University with a BFA and since then his creative path has been a winding one. After spending a few years in film and television production in NYC he becoming a founding member of the alternative rock band BELLY. Years of childhood piano lessons and being a punk rock drummer, including touring with the seminal hardcore band Verbal Assault prepared him for this unexpected opportunity.
Belly would record 2 acclaimed albums Star and King which yielded a number of radio hits as well as heavy rotation music videos. When he wasn’t playing the drums he was able to pursue art interests by working with the design team at V23 (Vaughn Oliver and Chris Bigg) to generate the bands iconic visual signature. This aesthetic and vision was then applied to a wide range of packaging, merchandise and visual campaigns that are all essential ingredients for a successful rock band. This involvement with design led to participation in the writing, editing and directing of many of the bands music videos. Among various accolades the band was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards and 1 MTV video award.
After the band parted ways he returned to NYC to focus on photography. In 1999 he was joined by his brother Tom to open a their own studio. Gorman Studio spent 15 years providing photographic services to a wide variety of clients with range of subject matter from product, fashion, portraiture, still life and chainsaw wielding chimpanzees.
In 2015 his first children’s book Indi Surfs was published, that same year Belly made the decision to reform for touring and recording. 2018 saw the release of his second book One Of A Kind, which was featured in The Society of Illustrators exhibit THE ORIGINAL ART 2018 . That same year Belly released its critically acclaimed third studio album DOVE, once again Chris provided the imagery for the album campaign.
Chris lives in R.I. with his wife and 2 children.
A disarming and casual self portrait to demonstrate my rugged outdoorsiness and love of nature. Humble and trustworthy yet nimble and quick witted with a clear creative vision and a demand for excellence that strikes fear in the hearts of random tree stumps and unkempt wooded regions.
Children’s Books
One Of A KinD
published by Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin 2018
Selected for the Children's Book Council Fall 2019 Express Yourself Showcase
Selected for the 38th annual Original Art show at the Society of Illustrators in NYC
Booklist Review:
Addressing the reader directly, an upper-elementary-aged child with soulful dark eyes and spiked hair declares, “I’m a kid who’s always been a little different.” The child discusses the clothes he wears, the music he likes, and the way he dances and styles his hair. Black-and-white visuals “created with cameras and computers” contrast with white text on a pink background or black text on yellow. The words have the appearance of torn strips of paper superimposed on the images and backgrounds. A dramatic two-page spread with the child in the middle, eyes closed and holding drumsticks, asks, “Could it be the way I hear the world?” Sounds of the city, emphasized by pink and yellow accents, surround him. The child is comfortable with himself, but also appreciates finding three more children who are a little different, too. Keeping with the musical theme, the kids form a band, and the image of their group performance is joyous. Bold, vibrant design showcases the child’s emotions in this picture book with a perennial message of self- acceptance.
— Lucinda Whitehurst
Indi Surfs
published by POW! Kids Books /Powerhouse Books 2016
The New York Times- Bookshelf: About a Girl Review:
With children these days surrounded on all sides by verbose, controlling parents, teachers and coaches, we rarely encounter the likes of Indi, a confident, blissed-out little surfer who appears to be no more than 7 or 8. With a junior-size board and a well-worn, charmingly saggy tankini, she anchors this unusual debut picture book by Gorman, who was the drummer of the alt-rock band Belly. “The beach is her playground,” Gorman writes, and Indi seems to be riding the waves on her own. (Let’s assume there’s a lifeguard; and imagine, if you must, her parents sitting nearby, confident that, as we learn, “when the surf is big, she is careful.”) She dives beneath breaking waves, waits patiently when the ocean is calm, and gets up each time she falls. The splattery, scratchy black-and-white art looks like digitally remastered photography with a touch of 1950s-style pen-and-ink illustration, rolling over the pages with a few areas of turquoise or rose washes. Gorman’s spare words, in a large, shadowy font, and the images of girl, surfboard and ocean feel united organically, as simultaneously exhilarating and meditative as surfing itself.
- Maria Russo
ACTION FIGURES
MUSIC : BELLY
Chris Gorman is the drummer, percussionist and musical writing collaborator in the band Belly.
Belly : Slow Dust ep
Released in 1992, the Slow Dust ep was a means of testing the waters for Belly and checking the publics reaction to this new musical direction for Tanya Donelly and her newly formed band.
Belly : STAR
Released in 1993. Produced By Belly, Tracy Chisolm and Gil Norton. Labels: Sire, Reprise, 4AD On February 21, 1994, the album was certified Gold for sales of at least 500,000 units. In 1994 Star was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album, and the band was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy Award. Singles: Feed the Tree, Gepetto, Slow Dog. FULL ALBUM LINK : BELLY STAR
Belly: KING
Released on February 13, 1995. Produced by Glyn Johns. Sire, Reprise, 4AD. The album sold over 350,000 copies and in the two decades since King's release, many critics have reconsidered the initial lukewarm attitude towards the album and now hold it as an equal to Belly's highly regarded debut Star. Singles: Now They’ll Sleep, SuperConnected, Seal My Fate. FULL ALBUM LINK: BELLY KING
Belly: DOVE
Released on May 4, 2018. Produced by Tom Gorman, Paul Q Kolderie. Belly reformed in 2016, and, following a successful reunion tour, chose to crowdfund the album. Singles: Shiny One , Mine , Human Child , Girl. FULL ALBUM LINK : BELLY DOVE
Belly: BEES
COMING SOON - SPRING 2021- A compilation of B-Sides, Covers, and Limited Release recordings- Available in the US through Run Out Groove and will be available throughtout the world through 4AD records- details coming soon.
Belly: Bandcamp
We are currently working on new music, B-sides, and alternate versions of songs from our 3 studio albums. We will be adding more music to our bandcamp site in the coming months. Belly Bandcamp
HeadCount
HeadCount promotes voter registration and participation in democracy through the power of music. They organize at over 1000 concerts and festivals each year. One year they hired me to document some of the artists that support their cause.
SPACE / KNIGHTS
The Space series and the Knights series were commisioned by Producer Gary Smith for his recording studios in Boston. Both Camp Street Studio and Fort Apache Studio had fixed 12 pane garage doors installed to match the functioning load-in doors in the lounge areas of the sister studios. These series were a permanent installatio, mounted inside the panes of the non-functioning doors, providing panoramic views of imaginary worlds.
SHOW POSTERS
For all INQUIRIES Contact chris@gormanstudio.com
