Hamm’s, Rainier, Montucky. No, it’s not just another night out, but a stunning array of watercolor beer cans currently filling Chico’s 1078 Gallery.
California-based artist Christine “Sea Monster” Fulton’s whimsical Cans ‘n’ Cones painting exhibition is on display for one more week.
Fulton has been a fixture in the North State art scene since earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Chico State in 2005, attributing her longevity and inspiration to the region’s ever-evolving art climate.
"I feel like there's always something going on," Fulton said. "Yes, something goes out, and it's gone. But while it was there, it was amazing."
Fulton didn’t only experience the North State art scene but helped shape it.
Waves of nostalgia hit Fulton as she remembers places of the past like Fulcrum Records, an all-ages music venue, and The Crux Art Collective, a gallery showcasing art shows from local creative types, which she co-founded and where she adopted the name Sea Monster.
“We were trying to encourage people to submit performances and installations for the open entry shows, and no one was doing it,” Fulton explained. “So we made all of us at the warehouse force each other to do performances, and I was nervous, so I made up the name.”
The sense of nostalgia in Fulton’s art is also evidently present in Cans ‘n’ Cones. This watercolor painting exhibition combines classic and local beer cans, ice cream cones, pop culture references and stunning ambiguous creature portraits with baby face knees (yes, that is correct).
"If anyone sees the show, I encourage them to look for all the baby face knees in all the figures," Fulton said with a laugh. "That's like my favorite part."
The collection dazzles with color, with its tasty beer, doe-eyed creatures and delicious summer cones, making you feel like you're walking the steps of an adult Candy Land board game, but the road to its creation is dark.
Two years ago, Fulton's home and studio burned to the ground during the Bear Fire, later known as the North Complex, taking nearly all her materials, including her personal art collection and unfinished projects.
To get back into creating and on their feet, Fulton began by drawing what she called “motivational wieners”: paintings of hot dogs on postcards that she would sell and mail to those wanting to purchase.
"I figured as long as I was doing something, that was better," Fulton said. "But it was super, super frustrating."
The concept of Cans ‘n' Cones slowly developed one beer can at a time which later progressed into the more significantly larger pieces in the collection.
"I've been moving around so much since the fire I haven't really had the space or mental capacity to map out some of those complex pieces," Fulton explained. "Started to get all these cans and cones out of my system to kind of open up the space for the more narrative pieces."
What followed was a pastel colored aesthetic that pays homage to animation from the 1980s and is reminiscent of those delightfully bright Lisa Frank stickers.
"If it can provoke some kind of nostalgia for people, I'm very attracted to that," Fulton said. "I definitely want to make things beautiful, that's a main goal … and I don't want to make anyone feel stupid when they're looking at it, I want it to be relatable to a certain degree."
Along with Fulton's show is a contest that ends on July 2. One lucky winner will walk away with one of the artist's works. Guests are invited to enter. Ask the gallery for a free raffle ticket.
