“On the Truck”, original oil-gesso painting by Chris DeMaria.
Around October of 2018, during pre-production of The Usual Route, we came across Chris’s work at the Holler: Contemporary Appalachian Art Gallery in Princeton, WV. The gallery was showcasing Chris’s exhibit: Unguarded, a series of oil-gesso portraits from images of people Chris took off Facebook. When viewing his work there is an undeniable sense of place, culture, and life. Some feel ironic, some endearing, others stark, others tragic, yet all genuine and something you can't look away from. One thing that is hard to convey in photos of his work is how textured Chris's oil gesso paintings are. His paintings have an immediacy and tactical quality that further immerse you when viewing in person.
We could not have been more thrilled when Chris was excited to collaborate with us on some artwork for the film. Much like the novel Potted Meat by Steven Dunn (our source material for The Usual Route), Chris Demaria's work subverts stereotypes of the south, while simultaneously capturing the heart of it. Just as the best storytellers, Chris’s work has the ability to bring you into the lives of ordinary people through paintings that are unpretentious, relatable, and a heck of a lot of fun.
Thank you Chris for this amazing artwork!
To check out more of Chris’s paintings head over to his Instagram linked here.