Chris Grosz

ROCKHAPPENZ Public Collection

Chris Grosz - Graphic Artist, Cartoonist and Musician with Band Of Hope Jug Band and Pork Chops

Chris was born in Dunedin in 1947 - the son of Austrian-born Christchurch artist Frank Gross (whose name was originally spelt Grosz).  He attended Burnside High School and in 1967 studied graphic design at Ilam School of Fine Arts, and freelanced as a political and editorial cartoonist for student and mainstream press.  In 1971 whilst in his early twenties, he worked in Sydney as an illustrator, where he was responsible for at least one cover for The Bulletin.

Band Of Hope Jug Band
Robin "Dobbin" Elliot, Gordon Collier, Bill Hammond, Warwick Brock, Chris Grosz and Phil Garland

In 1972 he returned to New Zealand and worked at Dobbs Wiggan McCann Erickson as Art Director.  He was offered the job of design supervisor at TV2 (NZBC) in Christchurch, responsible for all film and television titles (video animation and experimental graphic techniques) set design, make-up, wardrobe and set supervision of set construction.  In 1976 he moved to Melbourne and worked as an art director in advertising with Australian Concert Entertainment as in-house poster designer for music groups touring Australia and New Zealand - he also published cartoons for a range of Australian newspapers e.g. The Melbourne Age, Time, The Bulletin, HQ magazine, The EYE, Sun Herald, The Green Guide, Sydney Morning Herald, and provided illustrations for publications, including a book for Phillip Adams.

Bill Hammond, Gordon Collier, Robin "Dobbin" Elliot,
Dennis Hearfield, Warwick Brock, Chris Grosz

Dennis Hearfield, Bill Hammond, Chris Grosz (back turned),
Warwick Brock, Robin "Dobbint" Elliot, Gordon Collier

He also exhibited regularly as a painter, living in Greece (1984), Bali (1992) and Hong Kong (1996-1997).  Chris taught part time as a specialist in illustration, visualization and creative problem solving, designing back drops and graphics for the SBS TV show Rockwiz.  He also did a regular column with crime writer Shane Maloney for nine years at Melbourne based magazine, The Monthly.  He drew and art-directed a series of ten three minute columns for the ABC and eventually returned to New Zealand in 2005.  He wrote and illustrated a graphic novel "Kimble Bent, malcontent" based on the NZ Land Wars of the 1860s.

Downtown Blues
SA-61a

Downtown Blues // Ain't She Sweet
KIWI SA-61

Ain't She Sweet
SA-61b

Pork Chops - on the 1975 Paul Holmes hosted TVNZ show NORMAN
Rick Reid (Bass), Chris Grosz (Guitar), Jaap Visser (Keyboards), Phil Tutta (Guitar),
Arthur Gilmore, Robbie Laven, and Steve Garden

Pork Chops on the TV again

Chris Grosz

Ray Columbus, Max Merritt, Chris Grosz, Mike Rudd and Dinah Lee

Chris Grosz