Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Arnold and Jeff Garrison.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We have been a collaborative creative team for the last 33 years.
When I was in high school I went to see,”The King and I” starring Yul Brynner at the Music hall in Fair Park. The lights dimmed, the curtains were pulled back, and the stage set got a standing ovation. There were no actors on stage, just the hand-painted scenery designed to transport the audience to a different place, and people cheered.
I was moved by this and never forgot it. I couldn’t imagine how it was done, let alone how one would be in a position to work on a project like that. It was 1982.
Our journey began in 1984 when Jeff and I were randomly paired up as roommates our freshman year of art school at the Columbus College of Art and Design(Columbus Ohio). It was an unlikely pairing, Jeff, from Kansas City, had long hair, wore concert t-shirts and listened to rock and roll… I am from Dallas, had just graduated from Arts Magnet(High School for the Visual and Performing Arts-downtown), had short hair, wore Izods and listened to Jazz.
We began doing freelance Art projects during school for beer and Pizza money. The scale of the extracurricular projects increased through the years at school to eventually a Mural-sized project at an amusement park. It was the first time we would collaborate on such a large scale piece of art. We both graduated with a BFA in Illustration. We had spent the last four and a half years practicing an art form that would be viewed at arm’s length(Illustrations for print magazines). It was highly detailed, exacting, and tiny. Upon graduation, we both moved back to Dallas to look for work as Illustrators. We both foolishly and optimistically assumed that we were going to conquer the commercial art world, after all, we had degrees.
So, after college Jeff and I both found different jobs in different Scenic Studios in town eventually becoming respective lead painters at two of the largest studios in Dallas. It was in this environment that we learned all the tricks and tools of the trade to produce large scale artwork. We had been trained to paint images that were 8×10 inches and now we were painting images that are 30×100 feet. We were painting the backdrops for the Operas and the Ballets. It was during this period that life came full circle. We had both ended up in the same studio and our job was to do touch-ups on scenery as different shows would pass through town during the Dallas Summer Musical series. Because theater backdrops are so tall it is customary to spread them out on the floor and walk around on them to make repairs. So there I was, in my socks, standing on this enormous beautiful canvas when I realized I was standing on the actual painting that had so moved me a decade ago, The set from the King and I.
During our respective time as lead scenic artists, Jeff and I continued to take on freelance jobs in the evenings painting murals. Eventually, it got to the point where the night jobs began to encroach on our day jobs. We realized that we worked well together, we both enjoyed painting murals, and we were both too tired to keep up the ridiculous hours. We formulated a plan to go into business for ourselves doing something we both loved. The entire business model was basically, “Try and do it better than anyone else and it will work out”, why wouldn’t it. We both have degrees. So we naively picked a date on the calendar and both quit our jobs to form Eyecon Studios. This year marks the companies 25th Anniversary.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There is a general misconception about artists. You can see it in peoples eyes when you tell them you paint Murals for a living. They immediately default to the romantic conjurings of painting in your bare feet but only when the muse speaks to you. Honestly, I had kind of hoped it would be something along those lines, but that’s because I graduated from Art school and not a Business school. The words commercial liability, quarterly payroll tax, workers comp, and “the client thinks it’s too red” were never mentioned once in my entire collegiate career.
The real battle of any creative being in this day and age is worth. It’s the ego bruising task of not only having to convince yourself of your worth, but to have to sell that worth to someone else. It’s no surprise that we all refer to ourselves as “Art prostitutes”, We live in a time when the mindset of society is, immediate, disposable, and next.
We, like so many others, have dedicated the better part of our lives to becoming the craftsman and so the job is not just can you do “it” better than the next guy, but can you convince him of that.
Eyecon Studios – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Eyecon Studios is the dynamic collaboration of two professional artists who, with there team, offer the finest Hand painted and Digital custom works of art for companies, private collectors, and communities.
We operate a 6,000 sq.ft. studio in Dallas. We have earned two national awards for the City of Dallas for two 12 story Public Art Murals in downtown Dallas as well as owning a Guinness world record for the Worlds largest piece of art created entirely out of make-up(it’s a funny story). We have become known as problem solvers at this point in our career. We bring a collective 50+ years of experience to bear on every project. Our business plan is simple, try to “it” better than everyone else. Here’s to the next twenty-five…..
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
“Do something you really like, and hopefully it pays the rent. As far as I’m concerned, that’s success”. -Tom Petty
Contact Info:
- Address: Eyecon Studios
1341 Plowman Ave.
Dallas, TX. 75203 - Website: www.eyeconmurals.com
- Phone: 214-941-0500
- Email: chris@eyeconmurals.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyeconstudios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eyeconmurals
- Other: https://issuu.com/eyecon
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
