Our last show with Chris Krieg back in 2020 was unforgettable. When he set up a swing stage on our gallery wall and painted a full-sized motel billboard right on the wall, it was clear we were in for something big. Now, four years later, Chris is back. Once again he’s with his son, Will, and a whole new group of artists who take “boundary-pushing” to a new level.
My 3 Sons brings together three incredible father-son duos, all sign painters who’ve spent their careers suspended from buildings, crafting the murals and billboards we admire across cityscapes. Over years of working together, these six artists have naturally come to lean on each other. They share an artistic language, built on grit, talent, and a shared vision that few others can understand. It’s been an absolute honor to work with each of them in bringing this exhibit to life.
A huge thank you to our sponsors—Pandora John Realty, SCFD, and Colorado Creative Industries. And to the amazing staff at Center for the Arts Evergreen, thank you for making CAE the most joyful place to work. Your dedication and energy make every exhibition and event possible and inspiring.
With appreciation,
Sara Miller Senior Director
CENTER FOR THE ARTS EVERGREEN
Executive Director: Lisa Nierenberg
Senior Director: Sara Miller
Director of Marketing & Events: Amanda Ingalls
Director of Education & Outreach: Emiko Martinez
Finance Director: Tom Maxey
Administrative Assistant: Jackie Weaver
Events Coordinator: Zach Figurski
Board President: Lance Paulson
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:
MEET THE FATHER
CHRIS KRIEG
Chris Krieg is an American muralist and artist with over 40 years of experience painting iconic murals from New York City to San Francisco. As an apprentice at Foster and Kleiser, Krieg trained with some of contemporary art’s greats, mastering the craft of large-scale murals. In 1989, he moved to Colorado with his wife, Sue, finding inspiration in Evergreen’s beauty. From there, Krieg’s mural work shaped Denver’s art scene, contributing to the city’s vibrant visual landscape with works like the Willy Matthews Cowboy on 16th and Larimer and murals at the Denver Pavilions.
In 2012, Chris co-founded Altitude Murals with his son, Will, who followed in his father’s footsteps after training as an apprentice at a premier NYC mural studio. Together, they’ve created murals across the country, blending Chris’s legacy with fresh perspectives from Will’s vision and expertise.
Recently, Chris has taken his art in a new direction, focusing on smaller, studio-based work. This shift allows him to experiment with texture, depth, and playful compositions, moving beyond traditional mural techniques to explore more personal themes. Whether working on large murals or intimate canvases, Krieg’s art remains infused with energy and a commitment to elevating both public and personal spaces alike.
MEET THE SON
WILL KRIEG
Will Krieg is a passionate artist and storyteller based in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Under the mentorship of his father, Chris Krieg, a seasoned billboard artist, Will honed his skills in large-scale painting, blending traditional techniques with contemporary themes. His apprenticeship in New York City further deepened his expertise, where he learned the intricacies of billboard painting in a vibrant urban environment. This experience instilled in him a keen appreciation for vibrant colors and dynamic forms, which he uses to explore connection and identity in his work. Will’s pieces often reflect personal experiences and relationships, drawing inspiration from nature and family. He has showcased his art in various exhibitions, and when he’s not painting, he enjoys mountain biking, walking his dog, and playing tabletop games, always seeking new ways to express creativity and engage with his community.
COLLABORATIVE WORK
ART IS THE OPPOSITE OF WAR
oil | 10’ x 14’ | $5,000
Art is the Opposite of War is a powerful 10’ x 14’ canvas painting by Chris and Will Krieg, crafted in the style of a roadside billboard and modernized with striking 3D lettering. The piece, cut into curtain-like strips, invites viewers to walk through it, creating an immersive entryway to the rest of the exhibition. Chris laid out the expressive cloud backgrounds, setting a dynamic scene, while Will designed the bold, three-dimensional lettering that gives the work its contemporary edge. This collaboration blends their hallmark of linear precision with lively motion, inviting viewers to reflect on art as a force for peace and connection.
CHRIS KRIEG
TIRE-D FEET
oil | 5’ x 25’ (60” x 60” panels may be sold separately) | $15,000 or $3,000 each
FURTHER
oil | 72” x 49” | $2,000
PEGASUS
| 50” x 52 | $1,700
| 62” x 46” | $1,900
ANATIS FLEXILIS
on canvas | 64” x 39” | $1,500
on canvas | 42” x 54” | $1,300
SPACE PLACER
oil on canvas | 64” x 40” | $1,300
A LITTLE LIGHTER oil & acrylic on canvas | 34” x 23” | $700
MEET THE FATHER
MIKE MANENTE
Mike Manente’s journey in sign painting began in 1979 when he joined Pictorial Painting Company in Oakland as an apprentice. There, he learned the craft alongside Bud Schultz, Jerry Jensen, and Chris Krieg, veterans in the field who shared his passion for large-scale outdoor painting. In 1991, Mike, Bud, and Jerry took a leap and launched Masterpiece Signs, a testament to their dedication to the art form and a shared vision.
By 1995, Bud and Jerry retired, leaving Mike to lead what became Masterpiece Sign Painting Inc., an outdoor institution in Oakland. With no indoor studio, the company worked exclusively on-site or in the open-air “yard” at Clear Channel Outdoor, painting by hand on massive canvases, blending colors, and climbing swing stages. For over three decades, Mike witnessed the industry’s shift from hand-painted signs to vinyl applications.
In 2016, Mike passed the torch to his son, John, but continues to bring his skill to life on the People of Oakland mural, an ongoing project that showcases portraits he painted over the years, preserving a piece of Oakland’s artistic history.
MEET THE SON
JOHN MANENTE
Based in Oakland, California, John Manente’s artistic journey began with his studies in painting and printmaking in San Diego. Moving across various locations, he refined his craft at the Art Students League, eventually returning to the Bay Area, where he shared a studio with his father. In the studio, John painted, created mixed-media collages, and even launched a clothing brand. Manente’s artwork often combines representational painting with elements of pop art, adding depth to his mixed-media approach.
In his thirties, Manente took over his father’s sign company, shifting from traditional hand-painted signs to large-scale digital vinyl work—a transition he feels lost the artistry of handwork. Nevertheless, he continues to create, recently collaborating with his dad on a mural series, People of Oakland, which showcases portraits that tell stories of local community members. Manente enjoys balancing design and hands-on painting, where he meticulously fine-tunes details to create cohesive, expressive pieces.
COLLABORATIVE WORK
FLOW STATE
oil & latex on canvas | 93” x 156” | $5,000
Creating Flow State, a portrait of basketball icon Steph Curry, has been a fun collaboration for John and Mike Manente. John designed the portrait digitally and laid it out by hand with a simple grid, adjusting proportions, values, and colors as if solving a puzzle. Then, Mike began blending the figure, focusing on the underpainting and initial values. As Mike progressed quickly, John returned to refine the features, especially around the face, giving it detail and definition. Each layer that the artists created added depth to the piece, which is designed in a billboard style.
For John, collaborating with his father is a dream; Mike’s confidence and speed balance John’s reflective approach, allowing them to bring out each other’s strengths. Mike’s expressive brushstrokes give Curry’s portrait a vivid, impressionistic quality, capturing both energy and character in a way that invites viewers into the story behind the athlete’s face.
THE MUSICIAN oil on canvas | 35” x 25” | $2,000
THE VENDOR oil on canvas | 32” x 22” | $2,000
SHEILA
oil on canvas | 36” x 24” | $2,000
BACK TO BACK 30 SHEETS, OAKLAND, CA oil on canvas | 28” x 42” | NFS
JOHN MANENTE
NICNAC
oil and spray paint on canvas | 30” x 25” | $1,600
SPIKE
serigraph on paper | 30” x 23” | $450
MARS JUPITER
on canvas | 28” x 28” | $1,000 JACK oil on canvas | 42” x 32” | $2,000
MEET THE FATHER
PATRICK MCGREGOR
Patrick Kane McGregor’s journey as an artist began in the early ‘90s with graffiti, where he pushed art beyond paper to walls of brick and metal, exploring size and style on new surfaces. After working in sign shops and painting houses, he entered the outdoor advertising industry, which became a transformative chapter in his career. For 25 years, McGregor honed his skills in large-scale portraiture, graphics, and lettering, learning color theory, anatomy, and an unrelenting work ethic under the guidance of experienced mentors.
Today, Patrick’s art centers around animals, particularly dogs, often on a grand scale. His vibrant, dynamic works bring subjects to life with unique colorways and striking compositions that capture viewers’ attention. Each of his pieces is based on his original photographs, ensuring a deeply personal and authentic connection to his subject matter. With versatility in various paint mediums, he chooses the ideal one for each surface, whether indoor or outdoor, textured brick or smooth. Although skilled across media, he feels his best works come through in oils, where his command of color and form can truly shine.
MEET THE SON
TRISTAN MCGREGOR
Tristan McGregor’s introduction to art came early, through a unique corner of the industry—hand-painted advertising. Watching his father rise as a world-class ad painter, Tristan observed a mastery in creating vibrant, detailed images on a grand scale. In 2005, he joined his father to paint a five-story movie ad in Los Angeles, cementing his desire to pursue this craft professionally. Over the following years, Tristan worked alongside his father, often joining him on projects during school breaks, gaining early experience with Brooklyn-based Colossal Media, now North America’s largest hand-painted ad company. Through these hands-on experiences with both his father and the skilled artists at Colossal, Tristan developed the expertise to paint complex, photo-realistic murals solo. Now, he pursues mural projects full-time, bringing his technical skills to both advertising and his own independent art. Known for his detailed, photo-realistic style, Tristan approaches each project with a fresh perspective, choosing not to limit himself to a single theme. He’s actively seeking projects outside of advertising to deepen his artistic practice and broaden his creative reach. His ultimate goal is to transition fully into fine art, building a career where his personal artistic voice can thrive.
COLLABORATIVE WORK
GENERATIONS
oil on canvas | 48” x 30”| $2,500
Generations is a collaborative oil painting by father-son duo Tristan and Patrick McGregor, capturing a powerful moment between them as they paint side by side on a New York swing stage. Based on a photograph of the two artists in action, Generations brings a unique blend of styles to canvas, reflecting their distinct approaches: Tristan painted the bottom half with tight, precise brushwork, while Patrick took a looser approach on the top, using bold strokes and a palette knife to add expressive colors. This shift in style reflects Patrick’s new artistic direction, embracing freedom and unlearning precision to explore a looser, more interpretive technique.
In Generations, Tristan and Patrick chose to enhance certain elements for composition, adjusting the perspective to bring in cabs and the city scene below. This thoughtful arrangement underscores the dynamic blend of tight detail and free-form color, bringing viewers up close to the harmony and contrast between “loose” and “tight” techniques. The painting celebrates the relationship between father and son and the evolution of their shared craft, as each generation both preserves tradition and explores new artistic freedom.
PATRICK MCGREGOR
DOG BLESS AMERICA
oil on wood panel | 93” x 156” | $5,000
FLOWERS FOR SHAWNA oil on canvas | 24” x 18” | $500
GLOWING LEO oil on canvas | 48” x 48”| $1,500
THE MASTER oil on canvas | 20” x 16| $500
TRISTAN MCGREGOR
EYES
OPEN oil | 30” x 48” | $3,000
RETIREMENT oil | 30” x 48” | $2,500
A DISCOVERY oil | 24” x 20” | $2,000 THE MONSTER oil | 20” x 16” | $700
ABOUT CENTER FOR THE ARTS EVERGREEN
BRINGING THE ARTS TO EVERGREEN SINCE 1974
What started as a dream by local art enthusiasts in 1974 has become a lasting community resource. Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE) provides quality art instruction, exhibitions, and events. Our main gallery showcases local and nationally-acclaimed artists in both curated and juried exhibitions. We offer myriad educational opportunities for adults and children in the visual arts, writing, and art history. In September of 2017, Center for the Arts Evergreen moved into the newly renovated and historic Bergen Park Church, which additionally features a retail shop filled with artisan handmade gifts for any occasion. Visit us for monthly cultural events, concerts, lectures, artist demos, wine tastings, and much more.
OUR MISSION
To enrich and serve our mountain community by promoting and cultivating the arts through quality educational programming, exhibitions, and events.
WHO WE SERVE
Schools, preschoolers, teens, young adults, senior citizens, adults with special needs, singles, and more. CAE embraces diversity, equality, and individuality. Artists at all levels of their development from beginners to professionals.
ALL CREATIVES
CAE includes creatives in all mediums and in all forms of artistic expression: the visual and performing arts, literary arts, music, and other forms of artistic expression.
