The Firehouse (Chuck Sperry and Ron Donovan)
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Based in San Francisco, the Firehouse is a supremely renegade print shop, a partnership of two master screen printers, Chuck Sperry and Ron Donovan. Sperry is hot-button cartoonist from the political 'zine and post-Zap Comix tradition, while Donovan does wheelies on their computer.
Fine craftsmen of subversive propaganda, Ron and Chuck have stuffed their rock art portfolios with many of the biggest names in rock and roll while working for many of the biggest clients in the entertainment industry, while creating a much-sought-after series of posters for Virgin Megastores and collaborating with legendary artists Stanley Mouse, Gary Grinshaw, Victor Moscoso, and Alton Kelley.
Ron and Chuck’s works are easily recognizable by their unique style of color theory, characterized by the use of metallics over striking colors.
Sperry’s career as an illustrator began in 1985, Manhattan on an underground political comic. After moving to San Francisco in 1988, Chuck's experience as an illustrator, combined with his political fervor, drove him even deeper into the art of "creative disobedience" Over the past ten years, Chuck has contributed to Last Gasp Comics & Stories, and was the art director for Filth Magazine. His beautiful Joe Strummer tribute poster has been adapted for the cover of the official Joe Strummer biography - "Redemption Song" by Chris Salewicz.
Donovan's first footprint on the art world also came in 1985, when he co-founded We Are Not Gentlemen (WANG), a cadre of infamous art saboteurs, headquartered at the California College of Arts and Crafts. They staged their first poster show in the campus men's bathroom, when in a covert operation, WANG members screened full color prints directly onto the bathroom walls.
Prior to co-founding the Psychic Sparkplug in late 1994, Ron had become known endearingly as the "Duke of Haight Street", where he'd set up office at Copy Central, tirelessly knocking out 8 1/2 x 11 flyer copy for the venues "Kennel Club" and "I Beam" as well as for many local bands. He also designed a much sought after collection of over 60 posters for San Francisco surf music legends, "The Mermen".
The two artists met in a chance encounter at Comic Relief in the Upper Haight, where Sperry was in charge of public relations for that comic book store. Soon after discovering that they'd both landed their first jobs designing Fillmore posters for Bill Graham Presents within weeks of each other, Ron invited Chuck to join Psychic Sparkplug. After much publicized series of poster exhibits, they were invited to be involve in the dedication of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
