Chris Granillo was born in the Coachella Valley in 1982, growing up near Palm Springs, CA. He is a muralist, painter, printmaker, street artist, and sculptor. He is particularly interested in folk art, nature, the human figure, and found object art.

Granillo relocated to Oakland in 2002 to be closer to the Bay’s thriving art scene and the majority of his family living here. According to an article by Morones in Coachella Valley Weekly, Granillo told his mother before moving that “I don’t see my wings spreading here and growing in the desert and not a lot of opportunities, so I packed everything I owned in the back of my truck and left. I got to spread my wings in Oakland and it [is] the best experience I have had.” Granillo is still a successful artist creating in Oakland today.

Granillo attended high school in Cathedral City and College of the Desert in Palm Desert. He had hoped to attend art school but was unable to for financial reasons. Instead, Granillo continued developing his art, finding that “you didn’t have to go to art school to be an artist” (qtd. in Morones).

Granillo began creating art in the Coachella Valley. He became involved with the street art scene in 1998. Lacking financial resources, he began making art using found objects and materials from thrift stores, often working on found wood panels.

When Granillo relocated to Oakland, he began posting his illustrations around town and starting taking art classes, growing interested in mural painting. He eventually helped form Project Elefont, an artists’ collective that creates art involving urban scenes and wildlife. Through Project Elefont, Granillo spearheaded a project transforming Solano Way in East Oakland into a hub for mural art.

Haunts:

  • Solano Alley. Granillo’s alley in East Oakland, located at Solano Way and 17th Avenue, is home to the Solano Alley Project, which Granillo created with Project Elefont. What began with a Bruce Lee mural expanded to include a couple of blocks, which artists use to this day. Granillo has helped create several murals here.
  • Marin Way Murals. Granillo once lived on Marin Way and has painted several murals there. Granillo told Street Art SF, “There was always a lot of garbage in the alley and I wanted to clean it up and make it more colorful. . . .It was one mural, one garage door at a time. . . .”
  • Sin Fronteras Coffee, 1601 2nd Avenue, Oakland, CA 94606. One of Granillo’s haunts is Sin Fronteras Coffee, a cafe with a mission of promoting self-determination and economic justice through bringing coffee from Zapatista communities in Chiapas, Mexico to Oakland. Granillo designed a Zapatista t-shirt and partnered with Sin Fronteras since the Zapatista movement is a significant theme in Granillo’s art.

~ by Amanda Wheelock ~

External Links:

Granillo, Chris. “Artist Interview: Chris Granillo.” Street Art SF, 21 Oct. 2014, https://www.streetartsf.com/interview/chris-granillo/.
This interview with Granillo in Street Art SF was helpful in understanding the development of Granillo’s art practice and his work in Oakland.

Morones, Monica. “Chris Granillo.” Coachella Valley Weekly, 4 June 2015, http://coachellavalleyweekly.com/chris-granillo/.

http://www.chrisgranilloart.com/
http://www.chrisgranilloart.com/paintings–drawings.html
Granillo’s personal website is a great way to stay up to date with his current work and events that he hosts in the area.

https://localwiki.org/oakland/Chris_Granillo
This page on Granillo by Oakland Wiki includes a list of murals that he has created in Oakland along with their locations.

https://chrisgranillo.tumblr.com/

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