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.