Anything can be turned into art if you use your imagination. That’s exactly what Chris Haven does. Finding inspiration in daily life and turning found objects into something new, is just part of his creative style. That, along with his Pyramid People, have been what makes him such a recognizable staple in the Denver art scene. You can find his work all over town, and he isn’t stopping there. Chris Haven is making his mark across multiple platforms whether it’s painting, digital, or even making music- his passion for creating and his talent are undeniable.

Instagram: @chrishaven
Website: sekretskwadron.com

Hometown?

I’m a Denver Native!

 

Sk8 or die?

Sk8 of course.

 

Weirdest thing in your fridge right now?

Nothing really weird. I do have some seafood things people would probably think is weird like squid salad and pressed fish but it’s bomb.

 

Best song to boogie to?

There is too much music out there to only mention one and my moods change. Sometimes it’s Hip hop, sometimes it’s Reggae or R&B. I produce music also so I listen to all genres of music. I was playing Blues last night, R. L. Burnside. This morning was Jim Jones.

 

Best advice you’ve received?

Best advice is to believe in yourself. Confidence can get you far and can help you manifest your future. It took me a while to come into being confident about who I am and I’m still working on it.

 

Preferred artistic weapon of choice? 

This depends on what I’m working on. I love spray paint but I’m always switching it up. Digital art is fun, Markers, airbrush etc. When I started art I loved charcoal and drawing realisms it always changes and cycles.

 

How would you describe your style of art?

Creative. I believe art should be original if possible and come from your imagination. Although sometimes with portraits etc this is different and more of how well you can depict that image.

 

Can you tell us a little about your background in art? How’d you get started?

My Grandma would always draw with me when I was young. It ranged from portraits to cartoons and still life. Since then I have always been interested in art. Classic art to begin and later graffiti. Architecture also, I wanted to be an architect and still kind of am when I draw my cityscape scenes. I had no formal training. I enrolled in art classes in school but never went to college for it.

 

Tell us about the Pyramid People. What’s up with them?

The Pyramid People are my pyramid characters. When I started graffiti I did only letters and always wanted a character to draw. I finally developed them organically over the years and now paint them as much as I can. They are all different so there isn’t a name for them other than Pyramid People. They represent us and the many different people there are in the world, some happy, some mischievous, both male and female pyramids, some inspired by the environment I paint in, others by ideas I have in my head. I truly enjoy creating them and hope to do many more in the future, all over the world.

 

Your art seems to have a good sense of humor, How do you come up with these clever ideas?

Most of them just come to me or are inspired by my daily life. I was eating chinese food and thought it would be cool to paint a pyramid as a chinese take out box. I painted one and at the time was also painting objects I found around town, turning them into other things. So these two ideas came together like that. I thought of it and showed it to my friend who’s also an artist, because I was excited about it. He suggested to me to add chopsticks out of something so I immediately went to home depot and bought some pipes to create them. My friends have helped a lot in creating, we bounce ideas off each other, but for the most part they just come to my head.

 

What is the best part about the local art scene in Colorado?

The best part is that there are a lot of good people trying to help our art scene. It’s small but constantly growing. I hope for more unity in the future and more preservation of art/murals already painted so we can have a rich history of art to enjoy in the future.

 

Where is your favorite place to paint?

I enjoy painting abandoned places and letting the environment dictate what I paint. I also enjoy large scale murals and hope for more opportunities like this. It’s nice to paint in lower income areas to help raise the property value for the people living in them and to give them art they don’t see. I will paint wherever and I hope my art can be helpful to inspire people to create and make them laugh or just have a better day.

 

Can you tell us about Sekret Skwadron?

The Secret Skwadron is a crew of people mostly artists but also Musicians. We love hip hop and all the elements of it (graffiti, dj, breakdancing, rhyming) and hope to push and preserve the culture for future generations.

 

What other projects are you working on besides painting?

I am currently working on a new album, you can find me on all platforms under Chris Haven. I am always filming skateboarding, trying to improve on new tricks. Artistically I just finished a collab with 303 Boards. Honestly I don’t like to divulge what I am working on, as to not jinx it, but I’m trying hard to keep creating new content and painting as much as i can. I promise new things are always in the works!

 

Shoutouts!

Thank you to all my followers, friends and family that support my art, music and skateboarding. I truly appreciate you and can’t thank you enough! Peace.