Today we’d like to introduce you to Miz Chaos.

Hi Miz, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been a creative, curious and nomadic person. Visual art (specifically painting) was something I studied in college many years ago. During most of my twenties I was exploring working in media, outdoor seasonal jobs and in performance art. It was during covid and the first lockdown that I rediscovered my love for painting and creating and wanted to pursue it as my life passion. I painted non stop for several years, until I started exploring other mediums such as video editing, mixed media sculpture, glass mosaics and resin casting. I did two month long art residencies in different states. One was at the Lookout Arts Quarry in Bellingham, WA. The other was at The Fiasco Art Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Both those opportunities gave me the time and space to practice my craft and be around inspirational artists, who helped motivate and guide me.

I got into street art about two years ago after getting rejection letters from multiple stores or show applications. I started putting resin on my paintings, putting boards behind them and screwing them onto wooden poles in public neighborhoods. I wanted to start my own art gallery in the streets. I think its beautiful to add art into the everyday. I believe everyone should have access to beautiful things and that there shouldn’t be a divide in social or economic status with who can access or view art.

I’m a bit of a go-getter – I often drive around or go on trips to other states to get my art (and art from my friends) up in public places. I make small colorful 3D objects in resin and glue them on walls, metal etc. I hand paint paste ups (I’ve been making these colorful birds with clouds in their wings) and get up (or mail out) hundreds of stickers a week. I aim to be a community person who’s supportive of other artists and their work and be a lot of peoples “hype girl” and support them the best of my ability.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. I feel Portland is a bit of a competitive city when it comes to creative outlets and opportunities. The street art world can be rough. I’ve had my neon whimsical art torn down, torched, and covered up. People make up rumors about you sometimes when you’re in “the public eye”. It hasn’t all been rainbows and sunshine. I aim not to feed the trolls, I want to support my fellow artists and stay a peaceful and positive person online.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Currently, I think my stickers are my most well known. My stickers get shipped and traded around the world. They have gone up in at least ten countries and all around the united states. I hand draw or paint the images, scan them in and have a friend help me edit the image and get the right cut lines and resolution for printing.

I’ve been on a kick painting these neon “dream birds” on large pieces of paper and gluing them up as street art. I think I’m known for my colors and distinct painting style. In the last six months I’ve been live painting at festivals or at shows in Portland (and beyond).

I call my art style a combination of mixed media, pop art and surrealism. I used bold lines, a lot of movement and expression, neon colors, and hyper color saturation in general. I want to create my own playful, whimsical art world where anything can happen and imagination is endless. In a way it’s my escapism to a better place and I hope to take the audience there as well.

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What do i like best about Portland? It is a massively creative city and I love how quirky and queer it is. I think the rain and dreary winters are hard for a lot of people and I see a lot of people struggle mentally during the winter season. I think sometimes I see more competitive mindsets instead of “i hope we all win”. As long as people are good people, I hope we can all share space in community art galleries, stores and in the streets with public art.

Pricing:

• Message me on IG @mizchaos for any price inquiries

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Instagram @mizchaos
• Facebook: Miz Chaos on facebook

Image Credits
“We’re all mad here” is a collab with IG @painted_thingies Stickers are printed by @rxskulls