When Reverend Theodore Guest spoke his voice thundered. His gospel sermons freed the inner voices of all who listened, included was his son, Chaz. Raised in Philadelphia, under the spiritual and loving wings of his mother Algirtha, Chaz Guest grew up listening to his inner voice and drawing.
Piqued by the colorful offerings of life, Chaz chose to train as an athlete which earned him a gymnastic scholarship to Southern Connecticut State University and majored in graphic arts. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City and attended FIT with alluring thoughts of becoming a fashion designer, yet only to return to his true vocation, drawing. Encouraged by Antonio Lopez, a renowned fashion illustrator, Chaz moved to Paris where he created illustrations for the houses of Dior, LaCroix, St.Laurent and Ungaro.
Chaz began to imprint his trademark. Faithfully serving the medium of fashion, he gave the illustrations a beauty and life of their own. Chaz discovered how to become expressive, then turned to painting with oil, which offered him a chance to become content. Pulled into deep introspection, Chaz paints in a trance, oblivious to the reality we know. He accomplishes the task of painting with ease, as he becomes a tool through which his subconscious is realized.
Chaz's paintings entice the viewer into the surreal world of his mind. At first glance, the paintings may bring us to a sultry ambiance of a jazz scene. But see and Guest invites us to a world not yet discovered. It is a place of innocence and peace; a place we dare not label, categorize or rationalize.
Chaz Guest has exhibited at Musee de Mode in Paris, Simic Gallery in California, Third World Art Exchange in Los Angeles, California (along side the works of Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and Charles White), Sandy Webster Gallery in Philadelphia, Shona Gallery, Lumina Gallery in New York City, Gallery Nexis and October Gallery in Philadelphia.
