Our latest artist series loves to scratch and go fast! Cat and moto puns aside, we are so excited to unveil the latest additions to our Artist Series program! To kick off the launch, we were able to sit down with visionary artist Nicole Andrijauskas (aka @chicken_in_a_biscuit) to chat through her latest designs for the collection and learn more about where she finds inspiration, motivation and creativity!
CHROME: Tell us your name and where you’re based?
Nicole: I’m currently based in Marin, CA.
CHROME: What moves you?
Nicole: I am moved by beautiful things. I want to paint to beautiful music, devour beautiful food, witness the beauty of nature and experience sad, powerful, beautiful art. It’s the only way. Also, color. Bold color on a large scale really speaks to my heart.
CHROME: What inspires your art?
Nicole: I get ideas while I’m riding my motorcycle, but lately, I’ve been attending a lot of art shows where there’s all kinds of creative energy in the room. The conversations people are having are more “I wonder how that works” and less “Why me?” vibes. Writers, dancers and musicians overlap here too. The music I’ve been listening to while driving my car feeds the idea machine in my head. It’s strange how easily they float in and out while I’m in motion. Kinda like putting your brain on the shelf so there’s less room for logic and more space to imagine.
CHROME: Can you tell us more about your process?
Nicole: I make a lot of lists. Like, A LOT. I have folders on my laptop with images that inspire me. I pay attention to how I feel, asking myself questions like, What is the theme of this chapter in my life? What am I compelled to say? How should my feelings be depicted? Most of the process happens before I ever physically get to work.
CHROME: When are you most creative?
Nicole: Definitely when I’m inspired and energized after seeing amazing performances. For instance, last month, I got all dressed up and went to see the San Francisco Symphony play music by a local rap legend—Andre Nickatina! Seeing such a diverse crowd at the symphony was cool because it proves elevated artistic experiences can be appreciated by all people. That kind of cross culture collaboration is MOVING.
CHROME: How do motorcycles inspire your art?
Nicole: I think of motorcycles as an art form themselves—they take you places fast and give you a feeling of electricity with a finesse all their own. It’s a whole other mindset. You have to be hyper focused for safety but can simultaneously check-out. Whatever happens there is fluid and your perception of the world around you shifts a little. In that space is where I get my best ideas.
CHROME: Tell us more about the designs for Chrome? What inspired the design?
Nicole: I wanted to take a familiar icon and transform it into my own language. I love a checkered pattern because it reads in so many different ways—Vans original slides, a nautical flag for the letter “N”, a game of checkers…even Louis Vuitton uses it as a brand signature. Here, I wanted to recreate a start flag for car and motorcycle races but with a unique twist.. By replacing the tiger stripes with a melted version of the pattern, and inverting them into a yin-yang, allows me to play and comment on the associations of balance, a disruption of balance, speed and slowness.
CHROME: What do you love about Chrome gear?
Nicole: I love how functional it is across a range of physical activities, whether it’s holding tools for my chopper, or taking wine on a hike to the beach. They are cleverly designed and as far as I’m concerned the OG of cycling bags (holla SF!)
CHROME: What’s your favorite bag from the Chrome collection?
Nicole: Right now, I’ve been using the Chrome Kadet in what’s called “studio black”. It matches my bike and holds all my tools with easy access. Anything cute has to be functional!
CHROME: Proceeds from this capsule support Incline, an incredible gallery in the Mission district. Tell us about what creating art and uplifting the art community in the Bay Area means to you?
Nicole: I'm honored to be a working Bay Area artist. I was in art school during the Fecal Face days in SF, when there were always a million things happening every night. I'd ride my bike from one gallery opening to another and to another. There was a specific charged energy that laid the groundwork for how I thought an art career could look like. Now, as the city is in a rebuilding stage, there is so much opportunity for artists to share their work and reach a broader audience. There's publicly funded programs for more outdoor murals and group shows happening regularly at local galleries. The city may go through different phases of development but one thing that doesn't change is the exciting spirit that fuels me and many other artists to create.
CHROME: Anything else you want folks to know?
Nicole: My last name is pronounced ANN-DRIH-JOWS-KUS. It's Lithuanian. First person who says it correctly gets a doughnut.
Learn more about Nicole and her designs and explore the collection below.
EXPLORE THE NEW CHROME X NICOLE ANDRIJAUSKAS
ARTIST TEES
All proceeds (up to $5,000) from this collection go to Incline Gallery, an alternative art space that fosters relationships between community and artists in the historic Mission district of San Francisco.
