Chris Francis. (Canvas).

MANY LIKE TO THINK their lives are lived in fearless terms, but few people can be as raw and an obvious talent as The Wiz while charging through life with no safety net. He became a hobo and rode the rails for several years, quitting a full-ride art scholarship right when it was kicking in. Later, Chris became a lumberjack by walking up to his future boss and lying, 'Yeah, I've done it." Afraid of heights, he began as a tree topper, the most dangerous activity in logging. Span some months. He was fired off a fishing boat after fist-fighting the captain over dolphins and was dumped off at the San Pedro pier with no friends and no job prospects. In LA, he saw some guys hanging billboards that take over the entire sides of buildings. Chris wanted to climb the building, just for fun. He still has his climbing harness. A short time later, he was heading his own crew. No, he'd never done it before. The shit he pulls off, yeah, takes balls and persistence, but he does it with such flagrant style. It's mirrored in bo th his art and his skating.