The Journey’ With Chris ‘DAZE’ Ellis

In today’s episode of the Steven Sully Study Podcast, Steven talks to graffiti artist DAZE, aka Chris Ellis, about his exclusive pop up exhibition titled ‘The Journey’ at the Woodbury House. Daze’s current exhibit is a big eyeopener to the current political climate of the world he lives in. Aside from this, we hear him talk about his life as an artist, how New York City has progressed ever since, his influences and other contemporary artists. Daze also gives advice to aspiring artists who want to follow his footsteps, so start listening in!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Daze shares stories about some renowned artists: Richard Hambleton was Daze’s landlord in the 80s. Daze praises how methodical Richard is after witnessing most of his work in progress for how many years.
According to Daze, Keith Haring was not just a famous art figure, he was also an activist bringing awareness and fighting for human rights.

Daze is influenced by different things – other artists, other artworks, music, place, etc. And for most artists, emotions or any current happenings can massively influence the art.
Putting a price on his artworks is the very last thing he’ll ever do. It somehow destroys the creative process.
DAZE’s advice for artists who want to follow his footsteps: 1 – “Paint or create work because you got an inner need to do that.”
2 – “You got to have good work ethics.”
3 – “Be cautious with who you work with.”

Daze’s Top 3 Artists: Reginald Marsh, George Condo, and Caravaggio
As an artist, Daze does not see any harm in using social media to promote his art. Sometimes, he posts images to share with his followers. And most importantly, he gets updated with the current state of world affairs.
BEST MOMENTS
“Pain can be a real influence to creation.”
“Even with a sketch, you’ll never really know what it’s gonna look like without actually start painting it.”
“Those [art price] kind of numbers are so abstract that it would be hard for me to visualize what it would look like.”
“It really helps to have a sense of yourself and what your self-value is.”
“Through word of mouth, you can figure out who the people you want to work with or the people you want to stay away from.”
VALUABLE RESOURCES
The Journey – Chris ‘DAZE’ Ellis | Woodbury House
Image Mass Murder by Richard Hambleton | org

ABOUT THE GUEST
Chris Daze Ellis was born in 1962 in New York City.
He began his prolific Career painting New York City subway cars in 1976 while attending The High School of Art and Design. He remains one of the few artists of his generation to make the successful transition from the subways to the studio. His first group show was the seminal “Beyond Words” at the Mudd Club in 1981. Soon after his first solo exhibition was held at Fashion Moda, an influential alternative art space in the South Bronx. One year later the Sammlung Ludwig, Aachen, Germany acquired the first of several paintings for their permanent collection.
Since then he has exhibited in numerous solo exhibitions in such cities as Paris, Monte Carlo, Singapore, Beijing, Florence, and Buenos Aires. Ellis’ work has continued to be included in many group shows and museum surveys internationally. Notable solo exhibitions include: Sidney Janis Gallery, NY, 1984, Palais du Lichtenstein, Feldkirch, Austria, 1999, Musee d’art Moderne, Nice, France, 1999, Galleria del Palazzo, Florence, Italy, 1998, Fortune Cookie Projects, Singapore, 2010, Addison Gallery of American art at The Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, 2014, The Museum of the City of New York, New York, The Russ Berrie Medical Science Pavillion at Columbia University, 2018. PPOW Gallery, New York, 2018.
Alongside these exhibitions Daze has completed many public art projects over the years including: mural for The Star Ferry Terminal in Hong Kong in 1993, completing the design for an entire train station alongside artists Lee and Crash in Hannover, Germany, in 1995, mural for the Dreamland Social Club, Creative Time, in 2004, art consultant for Biz Luhrman’s Netflix series, “The Get Down”, 2017, commissioned mural for the law firm, Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, Washington DC, 2018
In addition to the many public projects completed, Daze has successfully worked in collaboration with students since 1994. He has worked in communities within various cities such as New York, Seoul, Korea, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Palaia, Italy, Port au Prince, Haiti and Andover, Massachusetts. He is a regular contributor to the Leap Arts Program and Thrive collective in New York.
Daze’s paintings have found themselves in many private collections including Eric Clapton, Natalie Imbruglia and Madonna. His work can also be found in the permanent collections of The Whitney Museum, NY, Museum of Modern Art, NY, The Museum of the City of New York, The Ludwig Museum, Aachen, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, and Addison Museum of American Art at the Phillips Academy, Andover
Chris Daze Ellis continues to live and work in New York City.
(Source: Dazeworld)
ABOUT THE HOST
The Steven Sulley Study is my take on success. My view is you should focus on a number of key areas to be a well-rounded individual. Success should not be just one thing like money, for example, it should also consist of a healthy fit lifestyle and thriving relationships. As a person who has made a success in life and also made some cock-ups, I can offer suggestions and tips on how to become successful or at least start your pursuit of success.
I started from leaving school at 16 with very poor school results to pursue a career in plumbing following the directions of my parents that then lead me to a barrister's chamber and then to a sales floor. From here, I established a foothold in the sales market promoting financial products as well as being a founder of an art agency that has a Soho based art studio.
In addition, I have invested into an urban fashion brand and into a wellness tech company, and my latest addition to the business portfolio is a property company that which creates HMO's in Medway, Kent. The diverse range of industries I find myself in has allowed me to create wealth that enables me to be my own boss so I can pursue my dreams.
As a former boxer and avid sportsman, I find there are similarities between the running of businesses and competing. In my episodes, I will be sharing some of my experiences to explore deeper these connections and how they may bring you success."
CONTACT METHOD
Steven’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sulley.steven/ 
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